"Pancakes?"
"Yes, pancakes. The fun will be where we all make a different type."
"How can you make different types of pancakes?" Syaoron asked Watanuki softly.
"Good question Miss Li," Mr. Yuui smiled broadly as if the question had been directed to him, "you see, there are many different types in different cultures. There's of course the thin crêpe as made in France, the thick American pancake, smaller English drop scones, even smaller Dutch poffertjes, fluffy Canadian pancakes... There're so many sweet varieties all differing just a tiny bit in just the Western countries!"
"Mr. Yuui is European," Watanuki entrusted Syaoron softly with a chuckle.
"I guessed that much," he smiled back, for some reason causing Watanuki to immediately straighten his back with a small blush on his face.
"Miss Li, would you mind working together with Watanuki for now?" Mr. Yuui looked at her inquiringly, "I prefer everyone working together during this time, because I believe club time is important for social bonding. Watanuki is the only one working alone."
"I'd be happy to," Syaoron answered, happy to work together with a guy instead of one of the dozen girls looking at him curiously. Watanuki blushed a little darker, but quickly shuffled some of his ingredients around as if studying what he'd gotten to cook with.
"Then, you two can make filled crêpes," Mr. Yuui smiled, "I expect high French cuisine from the two of you."
"B-but I'm not that good!" Syaoron protested, quickly shaking his head.
"Watanuki will teach you, don't worry. Now here are the recipes," Mr. Yuui handed them a sheet and continued to the next pair to give them all a different one.
"I'm sure you'd do great," Watanuki told him.
"You are overestimating me. All I've done is making some caramels and now everybody thinks I'm a great cook."
"And why do you think you're not?"
"I don't have all that much experience," he muttered.
"Then we'll practice," Watanuki gave him a wide smile, "why don't you start breaking the eggs in a cup?"
"Okay, I can do that much," he grumbled, putting his creepily frilled apron on – Tomoyo had sodomized it with lots and lots of frills when she had seen how plain it was last week – and searched for a cup.
"Would you prefer to bake the crêpes, or would you rather make the filling?" Watanuki asked while Syaoron carefully cracked the eggs.
"I never baked crêpes before. Have you?"
"A couple of times."
"Then you can bake them," he grinned, "it looks difficult and you're better at it anyway."
"Uhm, ok." Watanuki's face fell and he took the offered cup with eggs, whisking it into a bowl with milk.
"You'd rather have done the filling?" Syaoron asked confused.
"No, but... Well, you shouldn't say I'm better at it when you've never even tried."
"It's obvious you're better at it because I've never tried."
Syaoron huffed, really not understanding what Watanuki's problem was. He pulled the bowl with cherries closer and started to cut them, removing the stone. Watanuki remained silent while he prepared the batter, and gave him short glances as he cut the cherries. Syaoron would be damned to ask him if he was doing it wrong.
As he dropped the last cherry in the bowl he was startled by the sizzling of the pan. Watanuki was pouring in some batter from a sauce spoon, neatly turning the pan to make it spread out. Syaoron watched curiously for a moment.
When Watanuki looked up he quickly turned back to his task with the filling. Picking out the chocolate, he started breaking it to pieces to melt it.
"Chocolate sauce and cherries?"
"It's the recipe."
"You didn't follow it in class either."
"I did follow the recipe in class, I just added something in the end."
Watanuki picked up the pan and smoothly flipped the pancake into the air. Syaoron watched entranced how Watanuki caught it again without trouble. "True."
Syaoron shook his head, resuming the breaking of the chocolate.
When he placed the bowl on a pan with water and turned on the heat, Watanuki had finished three crêpes already, pouring in the batter for the fourth.
"Would you like to try flipping this one over," Watanuki asked gently.
Syaoron's eyes widened. "W-why would I want that?"
"To learn it? Or because you've been staring like it's a magic trick the previous three."
"If you throw it up that high, how am I supposed to think it's not a magic trick? Are you showing off?"
Watanuki blushed, "not really. I always do it like that. Now you try."
"But..." Watanuki gripped his arm, pulling him over the handle of the pan. Syaoron wrapped his fingers around the handle tentatively, looking up at Watanuki insecurely.
"Just jostle it like I did, and throw it up."
"Just jostle it," Syaoron muttered, staring at the sizzling pancake which was more than ready to be turned. He clumsily shook the pan.
"Not like that," Watanuki chuckled, "here, like this." Syaoron felt himself flush dark red when Watanuki's long arms curled around him, gripping the pan's handle over his hands. Watanuki looked tall because of his spindly figure, but as proven now, he really was half a head taller than Syaoron. He had trouble keeping his mind to the pan as Watanuki's chest pressed into his back – the boy probably didn't even notice it as he was so focused on the food – and his hands slightly squeezed his fingers. With a supple movement Watanuki shook the pan and threw the pancake up. Moving Syaoron's arms along with his, he captured the pancake neatly back in the pan, upside down.
"That's how." Watanuki suddenly stiffened and quickly released him, taking a step back. His face flamed red as he apparently just realised what he was doing. "I, uhm. I apologise, Miss Li. T-that was out of line."
"D-don't worry about it," Syaoron muttered, quickly stepping aside to tend his chocolate again. Apart from his twin and parents he'd never been that close to someone before. Something in Watanuki's sweet behaviour towards him threw him off guard. But it was strange, to see Watanuki shout as violent to Doumeki and cheer as over-dramatic over Himawari, but receive such warm smiles and tender care himself. He was certainly starting to get a soft spot for the cook.
It'd be great to count Watanuki as one of his best friends. If only he wasn't pretending to be a girl, making that a rather difficult relationship. Best friends between boys and girls, that is.
...
"I brought you crêpes," he deposited the two wrapped treats in the hands of Tomoyo and Sakura on the floor of their room.
"Crêpes? I love those!" Sakura quickly opened hers, squealing in delight.
"It has cherries and chocolate sauce in it, so watch out for your clothes," he warned, releasing himself from his vest and standing next to the bed awkwardly. Tomoyo smiled at him and gestured to the empty space next to them, indicating him to close a small circle. He hesitated, but then stepped towards them and carefully sank down on the floor. If they hadn't wanted him around they wouldn't have met up in the room he was bound to return to.
"It's so delicious," Sakura gushed after taking a bite, "these cherries! It's perfect Sharon!"
"I worked together with Watanuki, it's bound to be good," he answered, feeling a little embarrassed by her praise.
"Ah, Watanuki is great at cooking," Tomoyo conceded, taking a bite of her crêpe, "but I'm sure you must have done well too. It's easy to spoil it, and it tastes good. Meaning you did great."
"Thanks," he lowered his head, hoping she'd leave it at that.
"So how was working together with Watanuki? Did you have fun?" Tomoyo sounded slightly mischievous, but Syaoron didn't know what she was getting at. Only that his mind made a detour via the strange hug-thing Watanuki did when first teaching him how to turn the pancakes, making him flush a little again.
"It was, uhm, nice."
"Sharon, are you blushing?" Sakura giggled.
"I don't want to hear that from you of all people," he huffed, looking up sharply.
"Making chocolate filled crêpes with Watanuki is something to make you blush, hm?" Tomoyo studied her crêpe as if it would hold all the answers to Syaoron's deeper thoughts.
"No, don't be stupid."
"Then what's making you blush?"
"S-something went wrong," he bluffed, "I was feeling embarrassed again at failing."
"Really? What went wrong?"
"I couldn't turn the crêpes by myself at first. Now leave it be!"
"Ah, Sharon doesn't like this sort of talk," Tomoyo grinned at Sakura.
"It seems so," Sakura giggled, "but we are so curious to know who will get Sharon Li's attention!"
"My attention?"
"Are. You. Falling. In. Love. Yet~?"
"Me?" He shot back from them in surprise, turning red if only because of their close proximity at the chanted question.
"Well?"
"Not really," he turned away, refusing to meet their eyes.
"I'm not believing you if you say it like that," Tomoyo teased.
He gave her a glare. She knew perfectly well that if he was falling in love with someone, it would be a girl and he couldn't much tell that with Sakura around. The fact it was Sakura herself not making things easier.
"I'm not really falling in love. I like someone now, but I'm sure it's only temporary," he huffed.
"Really?" Sakura leaned even closer. "Who is it?"
"Not your business." He pouted the practiced pout.
"Aw, please Sharon," Tomoyo drawled with a smirk.
"No. Rather tell me who you are in love with. You've been here a lot longer, so more time to fall in love!"
Sakura retreated to her original position, pouting cutely as she thought it over. "I don't think I've fallen in love yet. Not since my first love turned me down."
"Your first love?"
"My brother's best friend," she blushed, "but he's years older than me. It was a really childish crush. Still, when he turned me down I was so disappointed, and I haven't fallen in love since."
"I see," Syaoron nodded, "so did you stop liking him?"
"I still like him as a friend," she beamed, "but I don't pine over him anymore."
"Good," he gave her a smile, genuinely happy she wasn't hurting over some guy. "And how about Tomoyo?"
She put a finger to her lip, thinking it over deeply. "I think of all boys I like Li the most. He's really sweet."
"My brother?" Syaoron's eyes widened in surprise.
She nodded, and beamed at both of them. "But I love nobody as much as Sakura!"
"Hoe! Don't say it like you're in love with me!" Sakura blushed dark red, pressing her hands against her cheeks.
"I can't help it, Sakura is just the cutest!" Tomoyo's eyes sparkled in that creepy way of hers, and Syaoron was now seriously sure his roommate was, in fact, lesbian and in love with Sakura.
Tomoyo giggled at their mortified faces. "Ok, ok. I'm currently just not in love with anyone. Don't worry Sakura, I'm not in love with you like that. But I do love you a lot, and there's not yet a place in my heart for a boy as well."
Both Sakura and Syaoron deflated.
"I see," Sakura turned to an awkward giggle, "you shouldn't make me worry so much, Tomoyo! And of course I love you very much too!"
Syaoron looked to the side uncomfortably. He really felt like he was intruding now. Moreover, it would be a problem if Tomoyo were to fall in love with his younger twin seriously. Syaoran was way too far gone into his love for Sakura. As long as Sakura was still available, he wouldn't even consider another girl. And even if Sakura got together with another guy, Syaoran wouldn't be able to give his heart to another so easily.
Although... He ditched his own twin rather quickly as well.
Syaoron frowned to himself. No, that was stupid. Syaoran had said he didn't mean to leave him. And they'd been closer together than anyone, so for him to run after Sakura like that meant he was really deeply in love with her. He wouldn't forget her overnight.
"Now won't you tell us who you like, Sharon?" Tomoyo had re-adopted her smirk. "I even told you I may like your brother, no doubt risking my own neck by saying that out loud."
"I'm not going to be all jealous and keep you away from my brother. I know he's in love with someone else, anyway. More likely I'd be sad you'd have your heart broken if you really fell in love with him, because I wouldn't wish heartbreak onto you."
Tomoyo's eyes widened in surprise, as if she hadn't expected an answer like that. He just wondered if she had expected a more selfish answer about his brother, of if she hadn't seen his sympathy coming. Did he really look so spoiled and heartless to her?
"You know," she said softly, "I suddenly see how you and your brother are the same."
"I'm not the same as my brother at all," he huffed indignantly.
"That was really sweet of you though," Sakura told him gently, "up until now you seemed more rough than your brother. But that was as sweet as Li would've been."
"Syaoran is a sappy wuss if he says such things to girls," he grumped, "don't pile me up with that soft boiled egg. I was just stating the obvious, or would you rather have had me tell you I'd like to hear you crying at night because you got your heart broken?"
"Not at all," Tomoyo giggled, and Syaoron stiffened as he saw her rub tears from her eyes, "I'm actually very happy you said that. It's the most sincere thing you've said since you got here, so I'm really happy it was something for my sake."
"Don't exaggerate," he muttered, "it's nothing to cry about, stupid girl."
"Eh, you can't stand crying girls?" Tomoyo teased, though Syaoron had the feeling it was still just a little off.
"No, I can't stand them at all. So stop it, or I'll be forced to do something really bad. Like cracking a joke or something. And you don't want me cracking jokes in the presence of Sakura's delicate ears!"
"Sharon's got such a foul mouth," Sakura giggled.
"I mean it!"
"Let's talk about the girl your brother loves instead," Tomoyo grinned.
"Damn you! Will you ever stop?"
"Not today, my dear Sharon. You gave us chocolate and cherry crêpes before dinner, we're not going to calm down until midnight at least!"
Syaoron groaned exasperated, "will someone save me, please?"