Topic: Blackout
Genre: Any
Canon: Yes
Rating: God forbid I use the MPAA rating system. Is 'any' under copyright protection?
Length: up to 1000
Task: It's that old cliché that no network show can do without: the inevitable blackout. Power failure, a scary storm, or even magical shenanigans. Whatever you like, so long as our cast is left in the dark. Must include a surprise kiss.
Time: One week.

And being Phantomness the insane authoress, I’ll try and twist every single prompt into my favorite pairing…

Disclaimer: I don’t own CCS although I wish I did. CCS belongs to CLAMP and Kodansha and a lot of other people. I just own my fanfic…

Notes: Um… yes. Syaoran x Yukito, shonen-ai, shota, and it is canon, technically… CCS manga, post-book 4

Rating: PG (no groping, no deep kissing)

Title: Even Snow Melts

He’d been walking home as usual, when Yukito-san had stopped and waved him over, asking him if he wanted to go out for ice cream together, and being Yukito asking him, how could he have disagreed, and besides, if he kept running away, how would he ever be able to tell Yukito-san how he felt? So he followed and they had ice cream, and then Yukito insisted on walking him home since they’d spent more time than strictly necessary there, he’d been too busy listening to Yukito-san talk and trying to fight off the blush covering his face instead of paying attention to the ice cream, but then they got to his apartment and he decided to be polite and invite Yukito-san in for tea…

He wondered briefly how he was managing to *not* run away, considering that Yukito-san was so close but as he carried the tray with tea and chocolate cake out he didn’t seem to care.

Had he finally overcome his blushing problem? No, he was still bright red, but his fleeing instinct had gone…

Maybe that was a good thing?

Yukito was making his way through his second slice of chocolate cake when the lights suddenly all flickered out.

“Oh, it looks like the power has gone out.” He stated simply.

Syaoran looked like he was about to pass out, had Yukito but seen it. He was alone with Yukito in his house and it was dark…

He tried to speak, but that traitorous blush still kept him silent, and he carefully set his tea down, not wanting to spill it over himself…

His hands were shaking and he didn’t know what to say, he hadn’t spoken a word the entire afternoon and now Yukito-san seemed to notice…

“Li-kun, what’s wrong? Did you drop something?”

No, no, he couldn’t say a word, but he couldn’t! His tongue clove to the roof of his mouth as he swallowed convulsively.

“Are you afraid of the dark?” Yukito asked kindly, a bit startled to find that Li Syaoran had been living all alone… and he was only Sakura’s age as well. Where were his parents?

There was still no reply. Yukito frowned as he got up from the couch he was seated on and carefully felt his way around the table to the second, identical couch where Li would undoubtedly be seated. His fingers met flesh, and he frowned. Li was trembling all over… maybe he was afraid of the dark.

“Li-kun? Talk to me, please…”

Oh he couldn’t, but Yukito had pulled him into a hug and now he just couldn’t think any more! The blush had returned full force and it was warm and nice and he didn’t remember ever being held like this before and before he knew what was going on he was starting to cry even though he knew he shouldn’t and!

Yukito stared at the child who had just started crying into his jacket. What was wrong? Had he said something wrong? No, he didn’t think so, but…

And the tears just wouldn’t stop, and he knew that if word of this ever got out his mother would reprimand him for letting his emotions out, but he didn’t care any more, not about the Cards, not about the Clan, just…

Yukito hesitatingly stroked mussed brown locks as the sobbing finally tapered off. What was wrong?

“Li-kun? Please, tell me what’s wrong…”

But I can’t speak, whenever you’re this close to me, I can’t think at all! So how can I do anything, Yukito-san?

He tilted his head upwards as he shifted in Yukito’s arms, just as the older boy leaned slightly forwards and…

He wasn’t quite sure if he could feel any worse than he already had, oh Gods, what had he done?

“Li-kun…” Yukito’s voice sounded rather shaky, but then again, he could actually speak. “What did we just…”

I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I never meant to…! But he wouldn’t cry, he wouldn’t! It wouldn’t help anything, and I’m so sorry…

“Li-kun? Please, speak to me…”
“I’m sorry!” He burst out, shaking his head. “I never meant for that to happen! I just wanted… just wanted…” He began to struggle, as he was *still* in Yukito’s lap and he knew that if he didn’t do something fast and get away he’d be tempted to kiss him again since it had felt so nice and that couldn’t happen because-!
“Li-kun… Syaoran, please!” He tightened his hold on the boy, whispering soft nothings, trying to calm him down… it wasn’t his fault, it was just an accident, and did Syaoran really think he’d punish him for such an act?

Why wasn’t Yukito-san letting him go? Why was he holding him, why… exhausted by the sudden struggle, and letting his emotion carry him away once again, he sank wearily into that embrace, the beginnings of tears prickling in his eyes.

The lights flickered on, and he hesitatingly looked up, expecting to see disgust mirrored in amber, but to his surprise, there was none…

“Why?” He whispered, feeling caught, a fly snared in the spider’s web... but some secret part of him yearned to be caught, to be held…

To be loved…

He gently let go, waiting…. But Syaoran didn’t run, and hesitatingly, he brought his hands to Yukito’s shoulders, closer…

Chocolate mirrored amber for several seconds before their lips met again, and as Yukito pulled Syaoran into his arms again, he marveled at how right this felt… society, decorum, age, and Touya be damned…

He could learn to fall in love then, if he wasn’t already. And when they broke apart again, he knew that he had made the right decision.

END FIC

^^ Completed 5/21/05