Family Bonding (CCS/xxxHOLiC: Meiling & Watanuki)
Title: Family Bonding Author/Artist: dropsofviolet Fandom: Cardcaptor Sakura/xxxHOLiC Pairing/characters: Syaoran/Sakura implied; Watanuki/Doumeki/Himawari blink-and-you'll-miss-it Rating: G Warnings: vague xxxHOLiC spoilers; useless speculation on xxxHOLiC future Prompt/challenge you're answering: Meiling and Watanuki: "Well, I never saw that coming."
Excerpt: Their first meeting ended with near violence. There they were standing, foreheads pressed together, looking absolutely ridiculous as they shouted insults at one another.
Their first meeting ended with near violence. There they were standing, foreheads pressed together, looking absolutely ridiculous as they shouted insults at one another. It was even odder because Meiling was two inches taller than Watanuki in her bright-red heels, and she glared down at him with Yuuko's narrowed eyes.
"I won't do it," he said finally, whipping around and waving a hand in irritation.
"You grant wishes, don't you? Syaoran said--"
"Hasn't your family--" Watanuki stopped.
"What? What about my family?" Meiling's voice was low and dangerous. She grabbed Watanuki by the arm and spinned him around to face her. After a moment he sighed and looked away.
"Hasn't your family given enough?" he muttered.
"You're my family," she pointed out, her voice soft.
"Yeah, I know," he said.
She left, slamming the door.
*
She came back the next day with a basket full of fresh rolls, and Watanuki courteously declined to mention that they were hard as rocks and he'd had a full lunch. Their second meeting was characterized by a careful politeness. He inquired after his parents and his brother; she asked him about the Mokonas and his partners. If they both got loud sometimes in answering, at least it wasn't anger at each other.
Meiling paused in leaving, her hand tracing a pattern in the doorframe.
"You won't grant my wish?" she said, glancing over her shoulder at the young man stacking dishes.
"I'm sorry," he said.
*
She came back the next week, anyway, and helped him do laundry. This time they were silent. Watanuki was always calmest with a chore at hand, and Meiling knew the value of silence (and the proper time to break it).
"Your English magic might not be sufficent for much," he said, folding the futons. She beat on another one, perhaps a little viciously, before she spoke.
"Yeah, I know. That's okay."
"If you're sure," he said, and she nodded.
"Come back on Saturday then," he said, gazing at her a long moment. The heterochromia of his eyes was somewhat disconcerting (especially knowing the story behind it), but Meiling met his eyes evenly. Then she grinned.
"I'll see you then," she said, picking up her purse to go, and he watched her make her way down the street, a small smile on his face.
"My aunt," he said to himself, trying out the foreign word, and his smile grew a little brighter.