storypaint (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
storypaint) wrote2009-09-01 03:36 pm
storypaint) wrote2009-09-01 03:36 pm
Snapshots (Clef gen)
Title: Snapshots
Fandom:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
polychromatic-verse with Clow, Yuuko, and Clef
Length: 797 words
Prompt: Self-prompt: an explanation of how that splashpage with Yuuko sitting at Clow's feet came to be.
Pairing: Clow/Yuuko; Clef gen
Other: n/a
Excerpt: There were even pictures of a time that Yuuko didn't remember. He'd seen the annoyed longing in her face when they had clicked through those, and hoped he would never have to live with the knowledge that part of his life had been forgotten irrevocably.
Clef was adjusting to the City in many different ways. The technology was much more advanced than that on Cephiro, for one, and a second thing, the one that bothered most of its inhabitants, was the impermeability of one's stay here. He'd hardly had time to adjust to the change in Umi's personality and attitude before she'd gone again. And Hikaru had changed too. She had returned to the City, but there was no guarantee that Umi would, or anyone else he knew that had left or would leave.
He was familiar with portraits. He'd had his done before, of course, as befitted a magician of his age and status. But while visiting Clow and Yuuko one day, he and Yuuko had stumbled across Clow's camera. Photographs captured moments easily-- unposed, unplanned, like pinning down a tiny piece of history and preserving it for later.
And there were photographs of people that Clef had never met and Clow would likely never meet again, people who had gone back to their own worlds and times, to face their own futures. There were even pictures of a time that Yuuko didn't remember. He'd seen the annoyed longing in her face when they had clicked through those, and hoped he would never have to live with the knowledge that part of his life had been forgotten irrevocably.
The three of them had moved on eventually to other things, but the camera had stuck in Clef's mind. He almost wasn't surprised when he got home and realized he'd absently taken it with him. He didn't flip through the pictures again when he was alone-- somehow, that would be a violation of privacy, he thought, even though Clow hadn't minded sharing most of them. He just remembered the faces that Clow had pointed out. Would Clef's own picture be pointed out to some future friend of the magician's?
When he returned to their house to give the camera back, it seemed that they were preparing to go out. At least, they both seemed like they were dressed more formally than usual. With Yuuko it was often hard to tell, but Clow's robes were more pressed and volumnious than usual, and the witch had taken special care with her hair.
Clef thought for a second about what Yuuko had told him, about not remembering the holiday celebration or the snowball fight or these other things that she had apparently done when she was here before, and then he held up the camera.
"That's a good idea!" Clow said, eyes sparkling. He took Yuuko's hand and pulled her back into the living room. Clef followed and watched as the other man settled himself onto... well, across, really... their small couch.
"Aren't you going to share?" Yuuko asked, crossing her arms.
"Stand behind," he suggested. "You always hate it when I loom over you." His eyes twinkled. Clef could tell it was a familiar argument. She rolled her eyes and did, but then they had another problem.
With Clow seated, Clef could get the top of his head in the frame, but Yuuko stood taller than that. He looked around for something to stand on. Clow laughed, low in his throat. It wasn't meant to be an insult, Clef could tell, so he bit back his initial annoyance.
"Maybe you should sit in front, dear," he said, looking up at Yuuko. She was puzzled for a second, and then unamused.
"I don't want to sit on the floor!"
"Pull the ottoman over here, then."
She seemed unimpressed by his suggestion.
"For Clef's sake," he said, gesturing toward the shorter man. She smiled in a way that was a calculated insult as she realized what Clow meant. Clef attempted to ignore that smile.
"I suppose I must," she said, sighing theatrically for Clef's benefit, and she came around the couch, grabbed the ottoman, and positioned herself on it elegantly. Clow looked down at her for a moment, his gaze tender, before lifting his eyes to half-smile at the camera.
Clef snapped the photograph. It wasn't the best picture, really. Yuuko looked a bit distracted. But now she would have evidence of at least one moment she remembered in the City.
"Thank you, Clef," Clow said, rising from the couch after Yuuko had found her feet and began to brush off her dress. He took the camera back from the little mage and then hesitated.
"Could I take one of you?" he asked politely.
Clef nodded. It took only a moment for Clow to kneel and snap the photograph. The flash made him blink, but then he smiled again, afterwards.
Memories were the only things that people kept here, in the end. It was nice to be able to have them in a preservable visual form.
Fandom:
polychromatic-verse with Clow, Yuuko, and ClefLength: 797 words
Prompt: Self-prompt: an explanation of how that splashpage with Yuuko sitting at Clow's feet came to be.
Pairing: Clow/Yuuko; Clef gen
Other: n/a
Excerpt: There were even pictures of a time that Yuuko didn't remember. He'd seen the annoyed longing in her face when they had clicked through those, and hoped he would never have to live with the knowledge that part of his life had been forgotten irrevocably.
Clef was adjusting to the City in many different ways. The technology was much more advanced than that on Cephiro, for one, and a second thing, the one that bothered most of its inhabitants, was the impermeability of one's stay here. He'd hardly had time to adjust to the change in Umi's personality and attitude before she'd gone again. And Hikaru had changed too. She had returned to the City, but there was no guarantee that Umi would, or anyone else he knew that had left or would leave.
He was familiar with portraits. He'd had his done before, of course, as befitted a magician of his age and status. But while visiting Clow and Yuuko one day, he and Yuuko had stumbled across Clow's camera. Photographs captured moments easily-- unposed, unplanned, like pinning down a tiny piece of history and preserving it for later.
And there were photographs of people that Clef had never met and Clow would likely never meet again, people who had gone back to their own worlds and times, to face their own futures. There were even pictures of a time that Yuuko didn't remember. He'd seen the annoyed longing in her face when they had clicked through those, and hoped he would never have to live with the knowledge that part of his life had been forgotten irrevocably.
The three of them had moved on eventually to other things, but the camera had stuck in Clef's mind. He almost wasn't surprised when he got home and realized he'd absently taken it with him. He didn't flip through the pictures again when he was alone-- somehow, that would be a violation of privacy, he thought, even though Clow hadn't minded sharing most of them. He just remembered the faces that Clow had pointed out. Would Clef's own picture be pointed out to some future friend of the magician's?
When he returned to their house to give the camera back, it seemed that they were preparing to go out. At least, they both seemed like they were dressed more formally than usual. With Yuuko it was often hard to tell, but Clow's robes were more pressed and volumnious than usual, and the witch had taken special care with her hair.
Clef thought for a second about what Yuuko had told him, about not remembering the holiday celebration or the snowball fight or these other things that she had apparently done when she was here before, and then he held up the camera.
"That's a good idea!" Clow said, eyes sparkling. He took Yuuko's hand and pulled her back into the living room. Clef followed and watched as the other man settled himself onto... well, across, really... their small couch.
"Aren't you going to share?" Yuuko asked, crossing her arms.
"Stand behind," he suggested. "You always hate it when I loom over you." His eyes twinkled. Clef could tell it was a familiar argument. She rolled her eyes and did, but then they had another problem.
With Clow seated, Clef could get the top of his head in the frame, but Yuuko stood taller than that. He looked around for something to stand on. Clow laughed, low in his throat. It wasn't meant to be an insult, Clef could tell, so he bit back his initial annoyance.
"Maybe you should sit in front, dear," he said, looking up at Yuuko. She was puzzled for a second, and then unamused.
"I don't want to sit on the floor!"
"Pull the ottoman over here, then."
She seemed unimpressed by his suggestion.
"For Clef's sake," he said, gesturing toward the shorter man. She smiled in a way that was a calculated insult as she realized what Clow meant. Clef attempted to ignore that smile.
"I suppose I must," she said, sighing theatrically for Clef's benefit, and she came around the couch, grabbed the ottoman, and positioned herself on it elegantly. Clow looked down at her for a moment, his gaze tender, before lifting his eyes to half-smile at the camera.
Clef snapped the photograph. It wasn't the best picture, really. Yuuko looked a bit distracted. But now she would have evidence of at least one moment she remembered in the City.
"Thank you, Clef," Clow said, rising from the couch after Yuuko had found her feet and began to brush off her dress. He took the camera back from the little mage and then hesitated.
"Could I take one of you?" he asked politely.
Clef nodded. It took only a moment for Clow to kneel and snap the photograph. The flash made him blink, but then he smiled again, afterwards.
Memories were the only things that people kept here, in the end. It was nice to be able to have them in a preservable visual form.