Author’s Notes: Written for the Tsukimine Shrine challenge over at Live Journal. My first time writing Meiling and Syaoran since I got into the fandom... six years ago? A change from my usual Tomouya and FujiSonomi.

As the street lights in the city flickered on with the setting in of dusk, two children, a boy and a girl, were on their way home

Author’s Notes: Written for the Tsukimine Shrine challenge over at Live Journal. My first time writing Meiling and Syaoran since I got into the fandom.

As the street lights in the city flickered on with the setting in of dusk, two children, a boy and a girl, were on their way home. The girl’s schoolbag bounced from the spring in her steps. She hummed a happy tune and swung her hands in time with her stride, all the while staying right close to the boy. “What a great game! 14-0, we completely… no, we destroyed the other team! Together, you and I, no one in the world can beat us.”

The boy looked straight ahead and sighed. “That’s why I said we should have been on different teams; it wouldn’t have been fair otherwise.”

Meiling’s steps lost their spring. “But I wanted be on your side.”

Syaoran saw how her face fell and the frown on his face deepened until a convenient store came into view. “C’mon, let’s get something to drink.”

“I didn’t bring any money.”

“I’ll treat.”

“Really?” Her face brightened immediately. “Lucky!”

He counted out the change in his wallet and made a face. “149 yen… I guess we’ll have to share one.”

The smile on her face told him that she didn’t mind a bit as she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the air-conditioned store, the sliding door announcing their entrance to the smiling student manning the register. They browsed the aisles filled with sodas, juices and flavored waters, examining and comparing and debating until they settled on a bottle of Lipton’s Lemon Tea--because he wanted tea and she wanted something sweet.

Meiling was in such a good mood she even let Syaoran drink first, despite the fact that he was the one who paid for it.

What she didn’t expect was for him to drink with his lips directly on the bottle. Of course, Syaoran was not the sort to pay attention to such minute details, but things were very different when the boy you liked passes you a bottle his lips were on just seconds before.

“What?”

Her gaze lingered on the bottle’s lip, then drifted to his mouth, then back, her cheeks feeling hotter by the second. When Syaoran realized what was happening his panic was immediate and obvious. “Just… just drink it already!”

“O… okay.”

And so her first kiss tasted like lemons, honey, and something else she couldn’t name. When there was a quarter left, she licked her lips and handed the bottle to him. “… Want the rest?”

She couldn’t tell what he was feeling then because of the orange hue cast over the two by sundown and because he wouldn’t raise his face, but he took the drink and after a long moment’s pause finished it in one gulp. Without a word, he threw the empty bottle into the closest dustbin and turned towards home, his feet carrying him so fast that Meiling had to run to keep up.

“Syaoran, wait. Wait I say!”

The End