NOTES: (Yukito/Syaoran) G, shounen-ai, minor angst, a bit of sap; suki da - i like you a lot
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Shaoran Li sat ramrod-straight in his place on the park bench, contemplating the object he held in his hands. It reminded him of Yukito-san; sweet, multifaceted, and tasted delicious. After another moment of admiring the striped neck of the sweet, he popped it into his mouth and began sucking adamantly.

He was so caught up in his reverent devouring of the candy cane held between his teeth that he didn't notice someone had sat down next to him until a hand fell on his shoulder. With a stifled yelp, he turned to glare at his offender - and immediately felt a blush overcome his features. "Y - yukito-san!"

"Hi, Li-kun!" Yukito greeted him, cheerful as always. Shaoran barely noted the two-foot bag he always used as a lunch box. "I noticed you were sitting alone today. Want some company for lunch? I'm afraid Touya had something else to do."

The young card captor was about to agree wholeheartedly when he realized that Touya - his /rival/ - had been given first consideration. He smiled, though, pulling the candy cane from between his lips and offering it to the object of his affection. "Um... w - would you like to - to share?"

"I'd love to, Li-kun!" Taking the proffered candy, Yukito bit off a large chunk and crunched happily, then gave the severely depleted remains back to Shaoran - who didn't even notice the difference. He was too busy blushing and looking at 'Yukito-san' out of the corner of his eye.

After a moment, the gray-haired bishounen pulled out his lunch bag and began shoving a veritable feast into his mouth. He never said why he was so hungry all the time - he just ate and ate and never gained weight. The only thing it hurt, though, was his pocketbook.

Shaoran watched in admiration while Yukito finished off a ham sandwich, two apples, a salad, a box of Pocky, and two cups of instant miso soup. Before the other could pull any more surprises out of his lunch bag, he asked, "Um, Yukito-san?"

The other paused in his eating and looked over. "Yes?"

"I - I'm - um... would you - " he stuttered, and then took a breath and tried again. "Would you like to come to the park again tomorrow?"

"Sure!" Yukito smiled, then paused and added, "If To-ya is busy again, I mean."

"Oh," was all Shaoran could reply to that. Touya again! Always about Touya! Why couldn't Yukito-san pay more attention to /him/? He practically fell over himself trying to get his crush to notice him... hey... maybe that was the problem. Maybe Yukito-san was tired of watching him make a fool of himself whenever he walked by.

Steeling himself, the young bishounen stood and walked the few steps needed to be standing in front of Yukito. For a moment, he merely stood there, looking at the ground and the distance between their feet, while Yukito looked on curiously. Then, before he could lose his nerve, Shaoran stepped forward and flung his arms around the other's neck, hugging him for all he was worth. "Suki da, Yukito-san."

Yukito blinked, startled, the remains of his sandwich forgotten in his hand. He couldn't bring himself to say anything, even when Shaoran pulled back, obviously disappointed, turned and ran.

Once out of Yukito's line of sight, Shaoran slumped against a tree, berating himself for being so stupid. His arms wrapped around his chest in an attempt at comfort. "Stupid, stupid Li... now he'll notice you all right, he'll /hate/ you for that! You'll never be able to show your face to Yukito-san again..."

In the following weeks, Shaoran avoided Yukito where he could, and didn't look at his face when they had to be near each other. He was too afraid of what he might see reflected in that gaze.

Finally, it penetrated Yukito's mind that something odd was going on with Shaoran. He confronted the younger bishounen in the park one afternoon, startling the daylights out of him by coming up behind him and speaking, "Hey, Li-kun."

Shaoran jumped and spun around, a light blush then covering his cheeks. He looked away. "Hi, Yukito-san."

Gentle fingers grasped his chin and made him look up and into the older man's face, letting him see the frown that teased the corners of Yukito's mouth. "What are you afraid of?" Yuki's question was met with silence. "Was it the hug?"

Pulling his face away, Shaoran looked at the ground again and his blush deepened. He answered with one sharp nod.

"Li-kun..." Yukito began, uncharacteristically solemn. He sighed, then leaned over and brought the much shorter boy into an intense hug. "Suki da."

Shaoran's eyes widened almost comically. Then a smile split his face and he returned the hug full force. Maybe Yukito didn't hold as much attraction for him as he did the older boy, but it was enough.

THE END