fractal_mirrors | Simple Pleasures [XXXHOLiC; English]

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Simple Pleasures [XXXHOLiC; English]

Title: Simple Pleasures
Rating: G
Genre: Introspective fluff
Pairings: Clow/Yuuko
Summary: Clow, Yuuko and a rainy afternoon.
Notes: Written for fairymage 's Song of the Rain challenge.

Simple Pleasures

Sometimes, rainy afternoons gave him a melancholy feeling. They reminded him of England, of everything he had left behind there. Clow didn't like to think about the past. The future alone was heavy enough to bear.

This time, however, he was in a better mood. Even the warmth of the cup of tea in his hands was soothing, just like the slow, swirling movements of the smoke that came from both the drink and Yuuko's incense burner. Their notes and sketches were sprawled all over the floor. On an afternoon like this, watching the raindrops fall on her garden only added to the peaceful atmosphere.

Perhaps it was the weather itself, or its combination with their work, what turned his Sight into that particular direction.

"It will be raining when they come," he said. Yuuko rolled her eyes at him.

"Show off," she muttered. "Do you have to do that?"

"I just thought it might be useful if you knew."

No matter what excuses he gave her, she still found it annoying when he made those comments, as carelessly as if he talked about what he'd cook for dinner. It bothered her to be reminded that he was the strongest of the two. As powerful as Yuuko was, she couldn't see that far ahead, not in such amazing detail.

But she didn't envy his foresight; she knew better than that. She knew how much he hated it.

"Don't talk about work," she said, trying to make him change the subject. "We've done enough of that for a day."

Clow smiled a little and took a sip of his tea. He could tell that wasn't the reason why she wanted him to stop speaking about it. However, there was no point in mentioning it and ruining their afternoon.

"What would you rather talk about, then?" he asked.

"I don't know. Nothing," she replied with a shrug. "There is nothing wrong with silence."

"Not in itself, no," he admitted. "But it seems a bleak plan, to just sit here and watch the rain."

He leaned forward to rest his hands on his knees, holding the teacup in perfect balance, and let his sight wander towards the garden. Yuuko held back a sigh. It wouldn't do to let him dwell on his own thoughts.

"I forgot," she said. "You always have a better plan."

Clow chuckled.

"Of course," he replied playfully. "We could be doing many other things now, if it wasn't for the weather. Standing in the sunlight laughing, hiding behind the rainbow's wall..."

"Do you always pretend to be poetic, or is it just the rain?"

"I can make rainbows," he continued, distracted, as if he hadn't even heard her. Yuuko snorted.

"Anyone with a bit of power can do that," she told him. "All you need is light and water. Light usually is already there to begin with..."

"Ah, but you need the idea," he interrupted her, smiling. "If it is so easy, why isn't it more common?"

She didn't answer immediately, and Clow's smile grew steadier. He hadn't meant to annoy her; but it was always amusing to look at her struggling to refute everything he said.

"Because nobody ever thinks of it!" she snapped at last. "Who would waste their time and magic on such a silly thing?"

"Exactly," he said, nodding. "That's why you don't see it. But I don't think it's a waste."

That was because he was a hopeless dreamer, Yuuko was about to tell him, but she knew he would take it as a compliment.

"So you would do it?" she asked him. "Just because it's pretty to look at?"

"Why not?" Clow smiled, shrugging, and turned to stare at the window again. "Sometimes you must enjoy the simple pleasures in life, without asking for more."

"Even when you're a powerful mage?"

"Especially then."

Yuuko didn't answer. She looked at the elegant curve of his fingers around the teacup, the wisps of hair that defied being tied up, the hint of bare feet beneath his robes; and she thought that looking at him as he watched the rain fall had to count as one of life's simple pleasures. But she would never say such thing aloud.

He knew, anyway.

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Wow!! Short but sweet. I was somewhat disappointed at the length of your fic but you managed to put a lot into it. I, myself would like to put more "science" into the making of the rainbow ie diffraction of light rays across water etc but that's just me being a geek that I am. I love the ending.

a relieve from some of the other yaoi posts. ^_^

Thanks! Glad you liked it.

And don't worry, I'm a geek too. ^_^ But I figured the science bits wouldn't fit in with the mood.

haha true true true. Well you would know better than me since you obviously are a better writer than me. (winces). I couldn't write a fanfic to save my life.

oh gorgeous. Lovely interaction too, i really get a sense of tenderness between them ♥

Thanks! :)

Very nice! Very short and very simple, but I like how much you were able to convey in those few words. I've only read minimal amounts of xxxHolic, but I got a good sense of character from your descriptions.

"Ah, but you need the idea," he interrupted her, smiling. "If it is so easy, why isn't it more common?"

I really liked this line; I thought it expressed a lot of who Clow is and is my favorite part of the fic. I love the simplicity of the interaction between the two that's able to say so much.

Thanks for participating!

~FairyMage

Thank you! :) I'm glad you liked it.

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