storypaint (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
storypaint) wrote2009-08-23 09:57 pm
storypaint) wrote2009-08-23 09:57 pm
The Ties That Bind (Clow/Yuuko)
Title: The Ties That Bind
Fandom: xxxHOLiC
Length: 863 words
Prompt: see lyric prompt below the cut
Pairing: Clow/Yuuko, slight Fei Wong/Yuuko
Other: Third in a series; table of contents.
Excerpt: Fei Wong laughed again. "Now I see why you had to hurry away to Japan, Ku Luo!" he said, slapping Clow on the back.
Clow didn't talk about his family much. It wasn't that they there were awful-- the moments he did mention seemed pleasant enough considering the struggle it must have been being part of a biracial family in the century he grew up-- but Yuuko never talked about hers, and in some odd deference to that, neither did he.
It was a surprise to them both the day that Fei Wong turned up on his brother's doorstep. Visitors to Clow's house weren't entirely rare, as his reputation tended to precede him, all through the magical community, but Clow seemed genuinely surprised when he heard the knock at the door. He looked up from the tome he had been perusing in his favorite chair. Yuuko was lounging on the couch reading a precursor to the trashy-romance-novel genre. She lifted her eyebrows. Clow shrugged and went for the door, though he was apparently beaten by Cerberus, to judge by the clamor that soon arose.
She got up and strode lazily into the hall, where she found a man with lion paws on his shoulders. He seemed remarkably nonplussed by this, petting Cerberus's head familiarly. He had a monocle and a well-groomed beard, but he also had Clow's smile.
She leaned in the doorframe. When Cerberus was finally convinced to get down, the man gave a respectful bow to Yue (who had also been drawn by the noise), and then a hug to Clow, who seemed, Yuuko noticed, oddly stiff.
"We weren't expecting you, Fei Wong," he said, though his tone wasn't exactly reproachful. Fei Wong laughed cheerfully.
"Of course you weren't, Brother! I like to keep you on your toes," he answered. Then he lifted his eyes and noticed Yuuko. He blinked, adjusted his monocle, and then seemed to realize he was staring.
Clow turned. "This is my colleague, Yuuko Ichihara," he said, gesturing to the witch. "Yuuko, this is my brother, Fei Wong."
Fei Wong laughed again. "Now I see why you had to hurry away to Japan, Ku Luo!" he said, slapping Clow on the back. The slight accent that Clow retained from speaking both English and Chinese from his youth was a little thicker in Fei Wong's case. Yuuko supposed he didn't leave China much, judging by his dress and Clow's surprise.
And to her surprise, Clow flushed a little. "Yuuko is helping me with some research," he said.
"Well, maybe you'd be willing to share her for a few days? I came to ask you about some theories myself."
"You came because Mother asked you to look in on me," Clow replied dryly.
"We just haven't seen you in a while," Fei Wong admitted, putting a hand on Clow's shoulder and squeezing. He was still smiling at Yuuko.
"I'm doing well," Clow said with finality, as if the conversation was over. "If you're going to stay a while, I need to prepare a guest room."
Fei Wong waved a hand. "Don't worry about it, Brother, something simple will be fine. In the meantime, Ichihara-san and I will become acquainted. Rarely do I have the privilege of meeting my brother's friends."
He lifted his eyebrow but Yuuko dodged the flirt, turning back to the next room. She glanced over her shoulder at Clow but it was Fei Wong who followed her, settling into Clow's favorite chair as though he owned it.
The second night of his stay, she agreed to have dinner with him. He left the third day, rather abruptly, claiming to have business at home. The fourth day, Clow showed up at the shop, bringing a favored bottle of alcohol and his notes that Fei Wong had interrupted earlier that week.
"So how was your date?" he managed to ask after the liquor had loosened his tongue. Yuuko threw back her head and laughed.
"A date? That wasn't a date." She leaned over and poked him. "Jealous?"
Clow coughed. "He made you dinner." (She'd graciously granted him use of her kitchen, in fact, a kitchen that Clow had carefully arranged when it became clear how little she cared about cooking. He was really the only one who used it most of the time.)
She waved a hand. "You make me dinner all the time," she pointed out. "Are we dating?"
"We work together," Clow said quickly.
"Well, I was willing to do a little consultation, but mostly he wanted to talk about himself. Though..." She grinned at him. "I am now in possession of several interesting stories about your childhood. Chopsticks, really?"
Clow flushed again. "So you don't--"
"What is this, teenage first crushes? Should I write a note you can pass to your brother next period? I can only deal with one Reed at a time, Clow. And your cooking is better."
She smiled at him and he hid his sudden relief by getting up. "Was that an invitation to make something?"
"Always," she answered cheerfully. "And grab another bottle! This one's almost empty."
"Of course," he answered, smiling back, and they didn't get any work done that afternoon either.
Fandom: xxxHOLiC
Length: 863 words
Prompt: see lyric prompt below the cut
Pairing: Clow/Yuuko, slight Fei Wong/Yuuko
Other: Third in a series; table of contents.
Excerpt: Fei Wong laughed again. "Now I see why you had to hurry away to Japan, Ku Luo!" he said, slapping Clow on the back.
It was a broken dream right from the start
Bless their tortured, tangled hearts
Well a blast of confusion coupled with delusion
Makes the best made plans sometimes fail
-Dixie Chicks, Tortured, Tangled Hearts
Clow didn't talk about his family much. It wasn't that they there were awful-- the moments he did mention seemed pleasant enough considering the struggle it must have been being part of a biracial family in the century he grew up-- but Yuuko never talked about hers, and in some odd deference to that, neither did he.
It was a surprise to them both the day that Fei Wong turned up on his brother's doorstep. Visitors to Clow's house weren't entirely rare, as his reputation tended to precede him, all through the magical community, but Clow seemed genuinely surprised when he heard the knock at the door. He looked up from the tome he had been perusing in his favorite chair. Yuuko was lounging on the couch reading a precursor to the trashy-romance-novel genre. She lifted her eyebrows. Clow shrugged and went for the door, though he was apparently beaten by Cerberus, to judge by the clamor that soon arose.
She got up and strode lazily into the hall, where she found a man with lion paws on his shoulders. He seemed remarkably nonplussed by this, petting Cerberus's head familiarly. He had a monocle and a well-groomed beard, but he also had Clow's smile.
She leaned in the doorframe. When Cerberus was finally convinced to get down, the man gave a respectful bow to Yue (who had also been drawn by the noise), and then a hug to Clow, who seemed, Yuuko noticed, oddly stiff.
"We weren't expecting you, Fei Wong," he said, though his tone wasn't exactly reproachful. Fei Wong laughed cheerfully.
"Of course you weren't, Brother! I like to keep you on your toes," he answered. Then he lifted his eyes and noticed Yuuko. He blinked, adjusted his monocle, and then seemed to realize he was staring.
Clow turned. "This is my colleague, Yuuko Ichihara," he said, gesturing to the witch. "Yuuko, this is my brother, Fei Wong."
Fei Wong laughed again. "Now I see why you had to hurry away to Japan, Ku Luo!" he said, slapping Clow on the back. The slight accent that Clow retained from speaking both English and Chinese from his youth was a little thicker in Fei Wong's case. Yuuko supposed he didn't leave China much, judging by his dress and Clow's surprise.
And to her surprise, Clow flushed a little. "Yuuko is helping me with some research," he said.
"Well, maybe you'd be willing to share her for a few days? I came to ask you about some theories myself."
"You came because Mother asked you to look in on me," Clow replied dryly.
"We just haven't seen you in a while," Fei Wong admitted, putting a hand on Clow's shoulder and squeezing. He was still smiling at Yuuko.
"I'm doing well," Clow said with finality, as if the conversation was over. "If you're going to stay a while, I need to prepare a guest room."
Fei Wong waved a hand. "Don't worry about it, Brother, something simple will be fine. In the meantime, Ichihara-san and I will become acquainted. Rarely do I have the privilege of meeting my brother's friends."
He lifted his eyebrow but Yuuko dodged the flirt, turning back to the next room. She glanced over her shoulder at Clow but it was Fei Wong who followed her, settling into Clow's favorite chair as though he owned it.
The second night of his stay, she agreed to have dinner with him. He left the third day, rather abruptly, claiming to have business at home. The fourth day, Clow showed up at the shop, bringing a favored bottle of alcohol and his notes that Fei Wong had interrupted earlier that week.
"So how was your date?" he managed to ask after the liquor had loosened his tongue. Yuuko threw back her head and laughed.
"A date? That wasn't a date." She leaned over and poked him. "Jealous?"
Clow coughed. "He made you dinner." (She'd graciously granted him use of her kitchen, in fact, a kitchen that Clow had carefully arranged when it became clear how little she cared about cooking. He was really the only one who used it most of the time.)
She waved a hand. "You make me dinner all the time," she pointed out. "Are we dating?"
"We work together," Clow said quickly.
"Well, I was willing to do a little consultation, but mostly he wanted to talk about himself. Though..." She grinned at him. "I am now in possession of several interesting stories about your childhood. Chopsticks, really?"
Clow flushed again. "So you don't--"
"What is this, teenage first crushes? Should I write a note you can pass to your brother next period? I can only deal with one Reed at a time, Clow. And your cooking is better."
She smiled at him and he hid his sudden relief by getting up. "Was that an invitation to make something?"
"Always," she answered cheerfully. "And grab another bottle! This one's almost empty."
"Of course," he answered, smiling back, and they didn't get any work done that afternoon either.