Home For Christmas [Meiling, Syaoran]
Canon Status: Canon-era, anime, Hong Kong.
Genre: Family.
Rating: G.
Characters: Meiling, Syaoran.
Pairing: None.
Warnings: ...Seriously, none.
Notes: Written for aoife_hime for 2005 Tsukimine Shrine Secret Santa Exchange. Original posting here.
Summary: Syaoran escapes from the family party to find Meiling already in his planned hiding spot.
Syaoran had enjoyed many things about Japan, but right at the top of his list had been the lack of formal holiday parties. It was his mother’s custom to give a party for the magical elite of Hong Kong on every conceivable holiday, including both Christmas (“It is important to acknowledge the celebrations of other peoples”) and the New Year. Now that he was back in Hong Kong, rather than safely in another country, there was no way to avoid the party. There was a way to avoid the guests, though; after the required introductions, Syaoran contrived to duck out of the room when his mother’s back was turned.
Since the guests had all stopped arriving, the foyer was deserted, and Syaoran crept in, grateful for the quiet. He was fully in the room before he realized that it was not completely empty. Meiling was there too, looking out the window. She looked up when he came in, but she didn’t say anything, and so neither did he. For a little while, they both just sat there, before she said,
“Do you remember when we used to do this?”
“Do what?”
“Remember when we were little, and we used to sneak out of Aunt Yelan’s parties and go hide in the upstairs hallway because it was dark? And we talked about all kinds of things, and you actually talked instead of just letting me?”
“Oh. Yeah, I remember,” said Syaoran. “That was…fun.”
“I still did it when you were gone,” she said. “Only it was just me, so it was kind of boring. But it beat losing at hide and seek all the time.”
“Since when do you lose at hide and seek?”
“Since everyone else is using magic.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
Syaoran didn’t say anything for a while. “How’d you get away so quick? Mother made me talk to Hanlin for an hour.”
“I didn’t have to talk to anyone. Mom doesn’t bother pretending I’m marriage material anymore.” Meiling pulled a rubber ball out of her dark red hanbag and started bouncing it off the wall. “It’s easier to leave when no one’s been instructed to talk to you. How’d you like Hanlin this year?”
Syaoran shrugged. “She’s been worse. I wish I were back in Japan.”
“Me, too.”
“Why?” he asked.
Meiling didn’t answer for a while. “Some of us might like to be marriage material-or something material--for once, you know.”
“Oh,” said Syaoran. “I hadn’t thought-“
“I know you didn’t,” she said, sharper than she might have. “Just-forget about it.”
Syaoran tried to think of something to say, some way to bridge the gap between them. “If I’d known you were out here, I’d have tried to leave sooner.” It was enough, because Meiling smiled and said,
“Hey, what do you think they’re doing in Japan right now?”
“I don’t know. What do you think?”
“I think it’s snowing there, and it’s terribly cold, but they don’t mind, because they’re crazy. I think Kinomoto is inside her nice, warm house having dinner with her family and thinking about how much she wishes you were there. Daidouji is there, and Kinomoto’s brother and his friend, and they’re all laughing. Daidouji left a camera on the table when she came in. And in a minute dinner will be ready, and they’ll all sit down to eat…”
It was almost like being back in Japan.
Genre: Family.
Rating: G.
Characters: Meiling, Syaoran.
Pairing: None.
Warnings: ...Seriously, none.
Notes: Written for aoife_hime for 2005 Tsukimine Shrine Secret Santa Exchange. Original posting here.
Summary: Syaoran escapes from the family party to find Meiling already in his planned hiding spot.
Syaoran had enjoyed many things about Japan, but right at the top of his list had been the lack of formal holiday parties. It was his mother’s custom to give a party for the magical elite of Hong Kong on every conceivable holiday, including both Christmas (“It is important to acknowledge the celebrations of other peoples”) and the New Year. Now that he was back in Hong Kong, rather than safely in another country, there was no way to avoid the party. There was a way to avoid the guests, though; after the required introductions, Syaoran contrived to duck out of the room when his mother’s back was turned.
Since the guests had all stopped arriving, the foyer was deserted, and Syaoran crept in, grateful for the quiet. He was fully in the room before he realized that it was not completely empty. Meiling was there too, looking out the window. She looked up when he came in, but she didn’t say anything, and so neither did he. For a little while, they both just sat there, before she said,
“Do you remember when we used to do this?”
“Do what?”
“Remember when we were little, and we used to sneak out of Aunt Yelan’s parties and go hide in the upstairs hallway because it was dark? And we talked about all kinds of things, and you actually talked instead of just letting me?”
“Oh. Yeah, I remember,” said Syaoran. “That was…fun.”
“I still did it when you were gone,” she said. “Only it was just me, so it was kind of boring. But it beat losing at hide and seek all the time.”
“Since when do you lose at hide and seek?”
“Since everyone else is using magic.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
Syaoran didn’t say anything for a while. “How’d you get away so quick? Mother made me talk to Hanlin for an hour.”
“I didn’t have to talk to anyone. Mom doesn’t bother pretending I’m marriage material anymore.” Meiling pulled a rubber ball out of her dark red hanbag and started bouncing it off the wall. “It’s easier to leave when no one’s been instructed to talk to you. How’d you like Hanlin this year?”
Syaoran shrugged. “She’s been worse. I wish I were back in Japan.”
“Me, too.”
“Why?” he asked.
Meiling didn’t answer for a while. “Some of us might like to be marriage material-or something material--for once, you know.”
“Oh,” said Syaoran. “I hadn’t thought-“
“I know you didn’t,” she said, sharper than she might have. “Just-forget about it.”
Syaoran tried to think of something to say, some way to bridge the gap between them. “If I’d known you were out here, I’d have tried to leave sooner.” It was enough, because Meiling smiled and said,
“Hey, what do you think they’re doing in Japan right now?”
“I don’t know. What do you think?”
“I think it’s snowing there, and it’s terribly cold, but they don’t mind, because they’re crazy. I think Kinomoto is inside her nice, warm house having dinner with her family and thinking about how much she wishes you were there. Daidouji is there, and Kinomoto’s brother and his friend, and they’re all laughing. Daidouji left a camera on the table when she came in. And in a minute dinner will be ready, and they’ll all sit down to eat…”
It was almost like being back in Japan.