I do not own xxxHolic. Never will.

WINDOW

Doumeki rubbed his shared eye.

Sometimes, he wondered if sharing his eye was the cause of the sudden bouts of irritation he felt. It made him want to rub it when it watered all of a sudden. When it stung, he would unconsciously put in a great amount of effort for it not to tear up. He knew it wasn't dust particles that caused it, nor was he allergic to anything because if it was the case, then it should be both his eyes feeling the irritation.

Doumeki really couldn't help but wonder.

Earlier that day, Himawari had offered the both of them to join her for a snack at the newly opened cafe a few blocks away from the school campus. It had been a rather pleasant snack, with a normal conversation of school happenings and Watanuki's over zealous reactions whenever Himawari would mention that they were good friends.

All had been fine until Himawari had excused herself to go to the bathroom. Doumeki had unconsciously started rubbing his bandaged shoulder that he injured two nights ago during one of their supernatural jobs assigned by Yuuko. They sometimes itched and stung when he moved his shoulder in a particular direction. He had pushed Watanuki back at that time, the spiritual blow hitting him instead. Not that he did it on purpose, but Watanuki had been too slow to react at the time.

As he continued to rub his shoulder to soothe the itch and sting under the bandages, he caught Watanuki blinking at him and wordlessly dropping his gaze down at his half finished tea cup before turning his gaze away completely towards the window. Doumeki could see shame reflecting on Watanuki's face and he didn't understand what was there to be ashamed of.

Until his shared eye started stinging and watering.

Doumeki had been in the middle of taking a bite off his second pastry when it started, just as Himawari came and joined them again.

"Ne, Himawari-chan. It's getting pretty late and Yuuko-san is going to start questioning me again." Watanuki said, turning to face Himawari, looking all cheerful with a bright smile on his face. "Oi, you, make sure Himawari-chan gets home safely."

Doumeki looked up at Watanuki and noticed that the bright smile was too forced and that his face was not tinted rosy like it normally was when he smiled. Instead, he had a slightly pallid complexion and had sweat beads on his forehead. "Okay." He replied flatly and turned his attention away from Watanuki towards his pastry.

Watanuki said his goodbyes and left without turning back or saying anything more. Himawari had asked if he was all right because 'Watanuki-kun doesn't seem as cheerful as he normally was'. Doumeki merely replied that he was fine that there doesn't seem to be anything wrong.

Of course, Doumeki didn't believe his own words.

That night, while brushing his teeth and getting ready bed, his eye started to sting and water. Doumeki quickly rinsed the toothpaste in his mouth and stared at his reflection, watching as tear after tear trickled down his shared eye, leaving tracks on his tanned cheek.

He didn't know how to react. He didn't know what to do with the fact that half of his face was soaked in tears while the other was dry. He wiped it away, washed his face and lay down in bed. Still, the tears wouldn't stop.

He didn't understand it.

He wanted to understand it.

Doumeki wasn't dumb. He could piece two and two together. If Watanuki could see what he can see and vice versa, then it didn't surprise him that Watanuki was probably crying that evening alone, thinking no one knew of it.

Doumeki let it pass the first time round.

Days did pass and it was starting to annoy him as well as worry him. In school, Watanuki looked cheerful, even through he slept in most of his class. He participated when asked by the teacher, spoke politely when spoken to and smiled while he walked down the school halls and quadrangle at anybody and everybody.

Everybody loved Watanuki, but nobody knew him.

Nobody knew that he's been crying for the past several nights straight. Nobody knew that sometimes, when he heard things he didn't like or held a deeper meaning for him, his eyes would sting with unshed tears.

Doumeki knew; he felt it through his shared eye.

He still received lunch everyday. It was slightly more grand, slightly more exotic with ingredients just slightly more difficult to find in their current season. When he asked a particular dish from Watanuki, Watanuki would always add something extra with it. Something he never asked for and was hard to make. The more time he spent around Watanuki, the more he noticed the lack of his normally over-zealous reactions.

Doumeki found it annoying. It was starting to really piss him off.

Ever since they started sharing his eye, Doumeki has been able to read Watanuki quicker and more accurately than before. He understood that Watanuki didn't speak when he was really angry, or when he was really sad. He would remain silent, keep that smile or pleasant unperturbed expression on his face while he fought the urge to cry. During those times, Doumeki could feel the amount of effort Watanuki was pouring in to not crying because his eye would hurt so much that he was surprised he never rubbed at it in front of Watanuki himself.

It was on the twelfth day since his injury where most of his bandages came off did Yuuko came to his shrine, looking displeased.

"Watanuki is extra stubborn these days." Yuuko said, arms crossed around her waist. Doumeki offered her to stay at living room, but she declined. "He didn't come by earlier did he?"

"No. I haven't seen him since school ended." He replied, tucking his arms under the sleeve of his yukata.

"Do you know why, Doumeki-kun?" Yuuko asked, clearly looking like she knew but wanted to know his answer.

Doumeki didn't have a reason to hide anything. "I have my suspicions."

"He is late. I came here to send you to him." Yuuko said. "Won't you go?"

"Of course." Doumeki said, without even thinking.

XXX

By the time they reached their normal world, Watanuki was sporting a few scrapes on his arms and sides and clearly not very happy. Doumeki's other arm was going to have to remain idle again for a few days till the scabs disappears.

"I'll take you home."

"I'm fine." Watanuki said, too pale to even think straight and shaken by that spirit that was full of negative aura and evil intent.

"You don't look fine."

"I am. Just get inside your house and I'll head to mine and we can both forget any of this happened. Don't you have your arm to dress anyway?" Watanuki said irritably, keeping his back to Doumeki.

Doumeki felt the tension and the stinging of his eye again. It was too strong this time. "Not like it's my fault I have to dress it."

Watanuki didn't react, didn't tense nor clench his fists but instead started walking towards the shrine gates. "I never asked you to come."

Doumeki felt the tears rolling down his cheeks. "Watanuki." Watanuki didn't turn and kept walking. "Oi, Watanuki."

"What?" He snapped, his back remained turned to Doumeki.

"Our shared eye. It's like a window."

"What the hell are you talking about now? Didn't I tell you to head back inside -"

"Stop crying, Watanuki." Doumeki said loud enough for Watanuki to hear, but still sounding like a whisper. "I know you are."

Watanuki took a moment to reply; he seemed stunned. "Fool. Do you see anything around here worth crying for? I'm not a preschooler to cry over silly things. You're just tired and trying to think too much."

Doumeki took three strides and grasped Watanuki's wrist and made him turn around. "You've cried too much for the past nights. Why?" Watanuki looked completely surprised at the sight of Doumeki's tears in the eye he shared. It terrified him that he couldn't reply. "I told you before. We'll share the burden."

"Stop talking nonsense." Watanuki jerked his wrist off Doumeki's grip. "These past few days, I've been under some allergic reaction to something I must've eaten. What possibly gave you -"

"Liar."

"I'm not lying." Watanuki gritted through ground teeth and turned around. Doumeki's eye shed more tears than earlier. "It's not a lie."

"Yes, it is." Doumeki flatly said, not feeling pleasant with Watanuki crying in his front lawn and over him no less. "Why are you crying Watanuki? Over what? Can't be over these silly injuries." Doumeki watched Watanuki's back shift and not move in sync with his breathing. "I chose to go. Why can't you understand that?"

"I never asked you. Why do you go? You have no obligation to go or accompany me. Why? Why?" Watanuki bit out, trying to keep his voice straight but failing. "Why get hurt over something you have no business with? Over someone you have no relation with?"

Doumeki didn't hesitate in replying sincerely. "Because I want to. I like you."

Watanuki turned to face him, eyes red from crying. "You make no sense. Foolish person."

"Think what you want. I still choose to go, whether you like it or not. I will be there to pick you up when you're too slow to move." Doumeki said flatly but sincerely. "As usual." Watanuki remained silent as Doumeki started walking towards the back of the shrine where his living quarters was located. "Come inside and clean yourself up. Then you can dress my wounds."

Doumeki kept on walking, half hoping that Watanuki would give one of his outrageous reactions and stomp away like he normally would. Watanuki being annoyed with him was way better than Watanuki crying all night.

He slid the door open and pulled his shoes off, surprised when he heard a rustle behind him and Watanuki dropping his shoes on the rack beside his. "I'll boil water."

Doumeki nodded and pointed at the kitchen.

Later, while Watanuki was wiping at his arm with a warm damp towel and Doumeki wrapping a bandage around his hand, Watanuki spoke, "A window, huh?"

Doumeki looked up at him, knowing immediately what Watanuki was referring to. "Yeah."

Watanuki took another towel and sat beside Doumeki to treat the cuts he couldn't reach. After a long moment of silence, Watanuki spoke again. "I just hope I don't see you looking at anything perverted."

Doumeki looked up at Watanuki, who had a small smile on his lips as he cleaned the wounds on the back of Doumeki's injured arm. Doumeki couldn't help but smile back, despite it being a very small smile.

"Sure."

Watanuki reached for the bandages and medicine, rubbing the herbal paste on to the cuts. "Thank you."

Doumeki knew Watanuki didn't mean those perverted things. "You're welcome."

FIN

Very very subtle hints of Doumeki/Watanuki but this is supposed to be a starting point for them to be closer than school peers.

Slightly OOC. I tried, really.

Inspired after reading volumes 7-8.