I'm In Love with a Plumber
Rule Number Seventeen:
Whoever thinks that it's improper for girls to woo guys
Has never met Kinomoto Sakura.
oOo
Mission: Catch 'Moby Dick'.
Target: 'Moby Dick' aka Li Syaoran.
Step One-Bait.
"You're going to what?!" Eriol spit his morning coffee all over his desk. "You can't be serious!"
Sakura nodded as she sat across from him. She came to his office first thing in the morning to deliver the shocking news: that she, Kinomoto Sakura, was going to woo Li Syaoran. Despite how awful it was to see the man's dreadful face that early in the morning, Sakura knew that Eriol was the man capable of helping her. Because Sakura knew nothing of wooing, she needed some pointers from someone that was experienced and knew Syaoran well. She could've went to Taguchi. He knew Syaoran very well, but she doubted he knew anything about wooing. She didn't know how well Koji knew Syaoran, so she'd thought she would just save the time and find Eriol himself, despite how much she didn't want to.
"I'm very much serious," she answered. "Now... are you going to help me or not?"
"What if I refuse?" He smirked. "After all, you did lie to him."
Sakura rolled her eyes. "You know you only want to torture me, Eriol, so leave the 'good friend' crap out."
"True. True."
"If you don't help me then..." she paused and gave him the once over look.
"Then...?"
"I will do something very awful to you."
"Like what?"
Sakura crossed her arms together and said, "I'll hug you."
The other man shuddered. "What do you need to know?"
"Taguchi talked to me yesterday," she began slowly. "He said that Syaoran feels insecure... that he's avoiding me because he's afraid of losing me. I don't want him to avoid me. I want to approach him, but I don't want to scare him off either. I'm not sure which is the best way to approach him."
Eriol simply looked at her and coolly said, "He just needs to be assured, Sakura. It doesn't matter how you approach him, just get him to sit down, talk to him, and assure him of how you feel. It's simple like that. And as of Syaoran wooing other girls, he never had to. Girls just threw themselves at him, but I believe he wooed you."
Sakura smiled. "So... how do you woo somebody?"
"I honestly do not know how you woo a man," he said. "Why don't you ask Koji?"
Sakura started sputtering. "He's g-g...gay?!"
"Why do you think he's a male secretary?" the man laughed at the expression on her face. "I've always wanted to say that."
"H-hoe?"
"Been waiting years for a chance to say that." He took in a deep breath and calmly said, "No, he isn't gay."
Sakura threw a pen at the man. "Then why did you make that statement in the first place!"
"You were the one that assumed he's gay!"
She grabbed a stapler off the desk and threw it at him before walking off. She slammed the door behind her. She couldn't believe that she had just wasted twenty something minutes on that man.
Sakura groaned.
zZz
"Koji, how do you woo a guy?" She bent over the guy's desk and looked at him in the eyes.
The black head smiled nervously as sweat drops formed down the side of his head. "Sakura, it's not a good time right now. I'm suppose to find this file for Shun. If I don't find it soon, he'll get all worked up and then I will have to deal with a pissy Shun when we get home."
"W-wait, you two live together?"
Oh my God... they're both...?
"I'm dating his sister," he explained. "The three of us share the same house."
Ohhh. That explains it.
"Can't you multi-task and search at the same time?" she pouted. "I really need the tips."
"Why?"
"I want to woo Syaoran," she stated simply.
The black head dropped whatever it was he was doing to stare at her. "You what?"
Why did everyone react like that when she told them? It wasn't that surprising. Was it so strange that a girl wanted to woo a guy? What was wrong with going against the cycle? There wasn't a written rule that said someone had to go with what society view as "correct". Hell, if there was a rule like that then whoever created such a rule should know that rules were meant to be broken.
"Will you help me?"
"Okay. If you want Syaoran back,"—he took a notepad from his desk and started jotting things down—"then follow these five tips. One, the clothes. You want to wear something appealing to his eyes and catch his attention, but you don't want to reveal yourself. Two, body contact. I don't think I need to explain that. Three, listen but don't solve. Ask him on a date or something, sit down and have a nice chat, ask him about his problems; but don't try to solve it for him, you want to let him know that you're there for him."
Wow.
Who knew the male secretary knew so much about wooing guys?
Hm, Sakura thought. Wonder how he became so experienced.
"Four, silence is golden. As nice as a conversation sound, if you feel like you have to force a conversation then my suggestion is to just welcome the silence. Sometimes, men find the silence to be rather cozy. Awkward conversations can just ruin the whole night and leave somewhat of a bad impression, so avoid those." He continued to talk as his hands moved quickly across the notepad. Sakura was impressed by his speed. "And finally... girls love compliments, but so do men. Compliment him. Show him verbally that you are very much interested in him. Syaoran is a really insecure bastard, so just boost up his confidence and everything will be good. Men aren't all that different from women. There are a few differences, but we are similar in many ways as well."
"Do I really have to compliment him?" Sakura asked. "I mean... I'm sure by now every woman has told him that he is the walking epitome of a sex God."
He raised an eyebrow in the air. "He's not that desirable," he said. "Well, good luck on wooing him back."
Sakura smiled. "Thanks for the tips, Koji. How do you know so much about wooing guys though?"
"I took a course back when I was still in junior high." He gave an embarrassed cough and mumbled quietly under his breath.
"You what?"
"I was pursuing Michiru, so I took this course on how to woo a girl but the class was kind of expensive," he answered slowly. "And at that time, there was a promotional discount for the bisexual class—how to woo girls and guys..."
Sakura laughed. "So you pretended to be bisexual to get the discount?"
"I was a pre-teen. Give me a break!"
"Koji, I need that file NOW!!!" They heard Taguchi screamed from inside his office.
The black sighed exasperatedly. "Wonderful. He's pissy."
Sakura smiled apologetically and left him alone after thanking him for his help.
zZz
She went back home to find Nakuru sitting in front of the television, in the same exact spot the woman was sitting when Sakura left the house that morning. Did she even move one bit?
"Nee-chan, how do you make a leak?" she asked.
The brunette looked at her strangely. "Just take a hammer and wham anywhere," she said. "Why?"
"Oh... no reason. Where can you usually find a hammer?"
"In the garage."
"Okay, you can go back to watching your soap," Sakura said and headed out towards the garage.
She found the hammer by Touya's toolbox and she walked back into the house. She walked past Nakuru in the living room, but the woman didn't notice the hammer in Sakura's hand. Sakura tightened her grip on the hammer as she stood in front of the kitchen sink, wondering where she should wham the thing. Maybe the faucet.
She opened the cabinet under the sink and observed the pipe. "He might just try the stupid duct tape thing again..."
Her goal was to keep him as long as possible. And so, with that decided...
Sakura raised the hammer in the air and smashed it against the faucet, breaking the poor thing as water spouted everywhere. She hid the hammer inside a drawer and called out, "Nee-chan, the faucet is broken... I think we need to call a plumber!"
Nakuru ran into the kitchen, surprised to find water shooting everywhere. "W-what happened?!"
Sakura shrugged her shoulders innocently. "I'll go look up a plumber in the phone book."
"Who knows how long that'll take. Water is diamond!" the woman started panicking. "Syaoran is a plumber!"
Sakura smiled satisfyingly when Nakuru ran for the phone.
I am good.
She should really consider taking a career in acting.
While Nakuru was calling Syaoran, Sakura wandered upstairs to her room to look for an outfit for wear. She kept in mind what Koji said about attracting his eyes, but not revealing herself. She settled with a pink mesh tank top and jeans.
She practically ran downstairs when she heard the doorbell ring, almost running Nakuru over at the door. The woman gave her a weird stare and opened the door. Sakura quickly straightened herself, only to be disappointed when she saw that the person wasn't who she was waiting for.
"Yukito, what are you doing here?" Nakuru asked.
The man smiled sweetly and set the little dog in his arms onto the floor. "Kero the Fourth," he answered. The three watched the little thing ran around the house. "Let's see if we can break the death record."
"Maybe we should stop naming the dog Kero," said Sakura.
Nakuru opened the door wider to let the other man in. "Come in. We're having a little crisis right now."
"Oh?"
"I don't suppose you know how to fix a faucet, do you?"
"Yeah... didn't need to learn that to become a vet," he smiled. "Did you call a plumber yet?"
"Twenty something minutes ago." Nakuru answered, leading the way into the living room.
Yukito sat down in the armchair and smiled sweetly at Sakura. "Touya told me you moved out," he said.
She nodded. "Currently remodeling the apartment."
"Ah, I see."
"How are Kaho and the kids?" Nakuru asked.
"Good. Just the other day..."
Sakura started to tune out the conversation between Nakuru and Yukito. The only sound that was going through her mind was the ticking of the clock as she watched the hands of the clock moved. She started to give herself reasons as to why Syaoran could've been late. He'd never been late before during the time that she was working for him. He'd always showed up twenty minutes or less after the person called. So what was taking him so long? It was twenty-two minutes already. Twenty-two minutes and three seconds... four seconds... five seconds... six seconds... seve—
She jumped up excitedly when the doorbell rung.
"What the hell took you so lon—" She paused when she saw her father's bewildered look. "Otou-san, why are you ringing the doorbell?"
"Forgot my keys," he replied and stepped into the house. "Were you waiting for someone?"
Sakura nodded in embarrassment. "Kinda..."
"A plumber?"
She nodded again. "Y-yeah... how do you know?"
He pushed the door open wider to reveal a certain brown haired man standing on the porch with his toolbox. Okay, now she was really embarrassed.
"I'm here to fix the faucet," Syaoran said.
Sakura felt some uneasiness in his voice and smiled lightly. "It's in the kitchen," she answered..
He looked at her.
She looked at him.
He stood there.
She stood there
He continued to stand there on the porch, and she continued to stand in the doorway.
Neither moved until Fujitaka chuckled and said, "I don't think he knows where the kitchen is, dear."
"O-Oh... Oh, right!"
Yup. Sakura was definitely embarrassed.
"Why don't I show you,"—Fujitaka turned to look at Syaoran—"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"Li Syaoran," the man answered politely.
Fujitaka smiled knowingly. "Ah, I see. Follow me. Sweetie, move aside so Li-kun can enter."
"S-sorry..."
Sakura moved out of the way so the other man could enter. She swore she saw a smile on his face when he walked by. If that was the case, then maybe her mission would be successful after all.
"How did this happen!?!" Her father cried out loudly when he stepped into the kitchen.
Sakura smiled nervously. "Does it really matter what happened? The important thing is to get it fixed right?"
Nakuru and Yukito ran into the room when they heard the scream. Syaoran nodded politely to the two and quickly looked away when Nakuru gazed intently at him. A smile came onto her face as she said, "Took you long enough."
"Traffic." Syaoran merely grunted before getting to work.
"Sakura, Yukito wants to take you out for a drink or two," the woman suddenly said.
"I do?" (Yukito)
"He does?" (Sakura)
They asked at the same time.
Nakuru suddenly pushed Yukito towards Sakura. "Yes. Yukito, you were telling me in the living room how you don't get to spend time with Sakura and how you miss her because of your schedule!"
"Well... It's true I haven't seen Sakura-chan in a while," said the man. "But—"
"And you love Sakura-chan a lot don't you?"
"Well, yeah..." Yukito blinked; obviously confused by the whole situation. He thought he was talking to Nakuru about Kaho in the living room. When did they ever talk about Sakura...?
The three stopped talking and turned to Syaoran when he suddenly dropped a wrench onto the floor. He smiled nervously and quickly picked the thing up. "S-sorry..."
Nakuru's smile grew wider.
"Hoee... 'nee-chan?" Sakura saw a wink from her sister and immediately understood the other woman's intentions.
"Otou-san, I saw a documentary earlier this morning." Nakuru started dragging their father out of the room. "I have a few questions to ask."
Sakura smiled and locked her arms around Yukito's. "Let's go on that date, shall we?"
"D-Date!?"
She quickly led the man to the door. "Sorry about that, Yukito-san." She whispered softly to him when they were standing on the porch. "Thanks for playing along. Tell Kaho-san and the kids I say hello."
And she closed the door to his face, leaving a very confused veterinarian on their porch to scratch his head.
Sakura headed back into the kitchen, tiptoeing on her feet so that Syaoran wouldn't hear her. She leaned in the doorway and watched him quietly with her arms crossed in front of her chest. After observing him for about five minutes, Sakura was satisfied with the conclusion of the experiment.
"You're jealous." She spoke aloud, startling him a little.
He picked up the stupid wrench for the second time and turned to look at her. "Pardon?"
She smiled. "You thought I was really going on a date with Yukito," she said again. "You were jealous—no, you are jealous."
He snorted and turned around to work on the faucet. "You can't be more wrong, Miss Kinomoto."
"Oh? Why did you stare into space for like five minutes?" she continued to interrogate him. Sakura was determined; she wasn't going to let him get away. Not again. "And your reaction when Nakuru led Yukito-san into saying that he loves me... can you explain that, Li-san?"
"Butterfingers," he said. "And I was just thinking about the faucet."
Sakura sighed exasperatedly. Walking over to him, she spun him around and quickly pushed him against the refrigerator as she positioned herself in front of him, firmly pressing her body against his. Their eyes met, and, for a second, she started trembling with the nearness of the temptation. She could tell that he was feeling the same thing as her.
"Syaoran, you're really stubborn..." She said, softly, brushing some of the messy bangs out his face so she could have a clearer view of his façade. Her pale fingers traced his lips, which trembled beneath the warmth of her touch. "Do you feel hurt, Syaoran? ... do you feel pain...?"
He averted his eyes from her as he quietly uttered, "What is it to you?"
Sakura was taken aback by the comment. He sounded like... like he didn't think she cared.
You're wrong, Li Syaoran... I do care.
Leaning forward, she gently brushed her lips over his. He looked down at her. A faint smile curved her lips and she reached out, carefully, brushing back a lock of hair that lay against his forehead. She cupped his jaw in her palm, and her thumb touched the corner of his mouth.
"Syaoran, please don't think that I don't care..." she quietly said and rested her head against his shoulder. "I don't want us to be like this. I know that this was all my fault, but can you... find it in you to give me a second chance? Let me prove to you that I care, that what we had wasn't just a meaningless fling."
Sakura felt her knees trembling when he suddenly slid his arms around her waist.
He held her tightly and whispered something in her ear. "Don't you find this position a tad familiar?"
Sakura giggled.
He let go of her and started gathering his things together. "I'll mail the bill in a week or so."
Sakura stared at the faucet, speechless.
Kami-sama...
Well, at least he didn't use duct tape.
"The thing just came off so I just hot-glued it back," he chuckled.
Oh. My. God.
He got his things together and left. Sakura just stared at the faucet, afraid to even touch it.
Note to self: NEVER hire him again.
So another day, another job well done for Li Syaoran.
"I'm going to kill that kid!!!" was Nakuru's reaction.
Sakura sighed. At least she made some progess that day, even if it just caused her a broken faucet and a lousy, very lousy plumbing service.
Step one, check.
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