Words That Bind

They had finished another mission for Yuuko and now Watanuki was in the kitchen at Doumeki's behest for food. Doumeki smirked as he heard Watanuki raging about his choice of meal again. Yuuko giggled next to him and then sighed, looking at him. She settled her chin on the back of her hand as she met Doumeki's eyes.

"Why don't you just tell him how you feel?" Yuuko asked with a smile playing lazily across her face. Doumeki looked at her sternly. He hated how much this witch knew; it was like nothing was safe from her.

"What are you talking about?" He drank another shot of saké.

"Why, your true feelings for Watanuki, of course." She took another drink herself. "Come now, there's no need to hide such things amongst friends."

He poured another shot of saké and downed it. "He doesn't like me."

Yuuko laughed. "Watanuki doesn't even know what he wants."

"And you do?"

"Call it... an inevitability. A man like you who repels spirits just happens to be drawn to someone who is plagued by spirits. Sounds like a knight in shining armor to me."

Doumeki didn't respond, just kept drinking.

"Ying and Yang. Light and dark. Together you balance each other out. You were meant to find each other. He needs you. He may have just not figured that out yet." She took a drag from her pipe and blew out a trail of smoke.

Doumeki heard Watanuki yelling at Mokona from the kitchen. He knew he couldn't say anything. What could he possibly say? Anything he did say would be immediately shouted down by Watanuki, calling him an asshole or idiot. There was nothing he could do.

"You know, Watanuki's a lightweight when he drinks."

"You want me to get him drunk?" Doumeki said in a straight voice.

"I just think he might be a bit more... open-minded to what you have to say." She winked at Doumeki. He drank another shot and looked away towards the kitchen. He did have to admit that Yuuko always had a way of knowing things, which meant it wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility for Watanuki to be more receptive. She's a seer after all.

"Alright, here it is and I hope you know how expensive these ingredients were, by the way!" Watanuki snapped at Doumeki as he put the delicious seafood dish before them on the table. Doumeki heard his stomach grumble at the sight alone. He filled his plate as Watanuki sat down and rolled his eyes.

"Mokona's hungry!" Mokona dove onto the table and began to inhale food.

"Mokona, there had better be some left for me or I will kick your fluffy butt off this table," Yuuko pushed him out of the way and began to fill her plate. Watanuki just glared at them and waited until they had their fill before putting some on his own plate. Even though he complains about everyone eating before him, he never tries to get food before anyone else. Still selfless in the end, he wants to make sure we all have something first.

Yuuko and Mokona talked while Doumeki just listened and watched. He noticed something was off about Watanuki. He picked at the food in front of him and still seemed to be in a mood, which was unusual. Watanuki snapped back and forth between a good mood and yelling at Doumeki often but at the moment he seemed legitimately glum.

Doumeki eyed the bottle of saké as he chewed and then looked back at Watanuki. He stood up, leaned over the table to grab Watanuki's cup, and poured saké into it.

"What are you doing?!"

"Drink," he said, as he handed it back.

"I'm still a minor! And so are you for that matter!" He yelled as Doumeki took another shot.