200 Ficlets
So, I promised when I reached 200 people having friended me, I would write ficlets for the flist spanning many, if not all, of my fandoms. I haven't gotten them all done, but 200 was just hit, so I'll post what I have.
Right
“Second star to the right?”
Willow smiled and leaned back, her hands behind her head, the green grass tickling them. She glanced over at Xander as he smiled, his elbows on his knees and his head tilted back. “The right of what?”
“A valid question, Ms. Rosenberg.” He turned his head and smiled at her, moonlight and starlight reflecting on his dark skin and bright teeth. “One for the ages.”
She turned on her side and propped her head on her hand, reaching out with the other to touch his arm. He glanced down at her long fingers as they splayed over his white shirt, the soft glow from her skin standing out sharply.
“Mother Earth likes her claim on you.”
“I was working on something for Giles earlier. Haven’t quite burned it all off.” She slid her hand along his arm and smiled as he shivered, heat pulsing beneath her touch. “I’ve missed this.”
He didn’t say anything as he lay down beside her, his gaze still on the sky. “I haven’t had time.” She released her grip on him and pulled her hand back. He turned his head, one brow raised in a question, unable to keep from smiling at the look on her face. “What is that?”
“What?”
He reached over and rubbed the frown lines between her eyes. “That.”
“Nothing.”
“Ah, yes. Nothing.” He trailed his finger down her nose then tapped the soft swell of her bottom lip. “And this? That’s nothing too?”
“That’s my lip.”
“That, my dearest Willow, is a pout.” He tapped her lip again. “I know, because I am the expert in all the forms of Willow Rosenberg pouts there are. The one that means that I ate the last piece of pizza. The one that means that I’ve forgotten something you don’t want to have to remind me of. The one that means I’ve let you down.” He replaced his finger with this thumb and stroked her lip slowly. “The one that means I didn’t kiss you.”
“I never had a pout like that.”
He nodded and leaned in, the heat of his look intent on her. “You did. I just don’t think either of us knew what it meant at the time.”
“And what does this pout mean?”
“This one right here?” He removed his thumb from her lip and brushed her furrowed brow again. “This one means I’ve managed to hurt your feelings again, and you don’t want to spoil the night, so you’re not saying anything.”
“No.”
He nodded again and brushed her lips with his own. “Yes.”
“Xander…”
“I haven’t had time to miss this, Willow.” He kissed her again, making a soft sound as her lips parted under his. “I didn’t say anything about missing you.”
Sometimes
Logan pushed off the wall and lands firmly on his feet, causing Veronica to jerk to a stop as he blocked the sidewalk. “Did you want something?”
He reached out and fingered a long lock of her blonde hair. “I always want something from you, Veronica.”
“Yeah? Well, too bad you won’t get it.” She brushed past him, her arm pulling away from his as she walks. He shook his head, the movement catching her eye as he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the alcove of the wall.
“No?”
“You can’t always get what you want.”
“That may be true.” He caressed her cheek with the back of his finger, running it slowly over the sharp delineation of bone. “But it does imply that sometimes you do get it.”
“Not this time.”
He leaned in and ran a quick tongue over her lips. “No?”
She raised her eyes to his and stepped toward him, eliminating the slight distance between them, her hands threading together at the nape of his neck. Her smile lit her face like starlight before he stole it away in a kiss.
Course
“You do know what you’re doing, right?”
“Your confidence in me is heartening, Potter. It’s also likely to get you thrown overboard, but I appreciate your efforts to buck up my ego.”
“Like you need any help there, Witter.” She glanced down at the panel in front of him. “I mean, you know how to read this, right?”
“No. I’ve committed myself to a summer at sea, but I decided to make it a real adventure and didn’t bother to learn how to sail.” He pointed to the bench behind him. “Go sit down.”
“What if it stops working?”
Sighing, Pacey killed the engine, holding the wheel as the boat slowly drifted the lazy roll of the waves. He walked back to where she was sitting and sank down beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, marveling silently for a moment at having the freedom to do so. “Look up.”
“Pacey…”
“Look up.” He reached over and hooked two fingers beneath her chin, tilting her head back to the sky. “What do you see?”
“Air pollution? The Concorde? A hole in the ozone layer?”
“Stars. More stars that you can ever see in Capeside.” He lifted his free hand and pointed. “See that one?”
“Yeah.”
“North star.”
“I knew that.”
“See that?”
“Big dipper.”
“And that?”
“Pacey, is this some sort of astronomy lesson, or are you going to start telling me my horoscope?”
He sighed and closed his eyes before turning his head to her and offering her a small smile. “I don’t know if you know this, Potter, but hundreds of years ago? They didn’t have all this new-fangled equipment.”
“New-fangled? Did you actually just say new-fangled?”
“And yet they managed to do many, many great things. Mounted expeditions. Sailed the seven seas. Discovered there were, in fact, seven seas.”
“I sense an important lesson here.” She leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder, her hand against his chest. “Give you a ship?”
He nodded and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. “And a star to sail her by, Potter. And a star to sail her by.”
Color
House leaned on his cane and stared down at the yellow blanket spread out over the grass, the gleam of the green in the starlight almost black. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“No. Sit down.”
“On the grass.”
“On the blanket.” Cameron patted the space next to her, her face a mask of polite control. “Now.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He stabbed the center of the blanket with his cane and lowered himself slowly, glaring at her when she reached out as if to help. She pulled her and back and ignored his grumbled protests, reaching into the backpack beside her and pulling out a bottle of wine.
“You have wine in a backpack?”
“Well, a picnic basket seemed ill advised for a midnight ride on your motorcycle. I improvised.”
“Ah.” He took the cup she offered him and sipped, leaning back on one hand. “You could have said no.”
She gave him a look and took a drink of her own. “You believe that?”
House smiled in response and shook his head, taking another sip of wine. “No.”
Twain
The stars were gleaming, their frail light glinting off the fresh fallen snow. In the near distance, Portsmouth was shrouded by fog and smoke, the black fall of soot clinging to the white and grinding it away to gray.
“If you look one direction, Horatio, it’s like another world.”
“And if you look the other, Archie, it’s very clearly the same.”
Kennedy smiled and tilted his head back, closing his eyes and inhaling the crisp salty tang of air. Horatio watched him, a ghost of a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. “That’s the difference between you and I, you know. You see reality and I see possibility.”
Horatio leaned closer to his friend, his voice dropped low so that only they could hear, despite the cold air amplifying the sound. “Next time we’re ashore, Mr. Kennedy, perhaps the two shall meet?”
Right
“Second star to the right?”
Willow smiled and leaned back, her hands behind her head, the green grass tickling them. She glanced over at Xander as he smiled, his elbows on his knees and his head tilted back. “The right of what?”
“A valid question, Ms. Rosenberg.” He turned his head and smiled at her, moonlight and starlight reflecting on his dark skin and bright teeth. “One for the ages.”
She turned on her side and propped her head on her hand, reaching out with the other to touch his arm. He glanced down at her long fingers as they splayed over his white shirt, the soft glow from her skin standing out sharply.
“Mother Earth likes her claim on you.”
“I was working on something for Giles earlier. Haven’t quite burned it all off.” She slid her hand along his arm and smiled as he shivered, heat pulsing beneath her touch. “I’ve missed this.”
He didn’t say anything as he lay down beside her, his gaze still on the sky. “I haven’t had time.” She released her grip on him and pulled her hand back. He turned his head, one brow raised in a question, unable to keep from smiling at the look on her face. “What is that?”
“What?”
He reached over and rubbed the frown lines between her eyes. “That.”
“Nothing.”
“Ah, yes. Nothing.” He trailed his finger down her nose then tapped the soft swell of her bottom lip. “And this? That’s nothing too?”
“That’s my lip.”
“That, my dearest Willow, is a pout.” He tapped her lip again. “I know, because I am the expert in all the forms of Willow Rosenberg pouts there are. The one that means that I ate the last piece of pizza. The one that means that I’ve forgotten something you don’t want to have to remind me of. The one that means I’ve let you down.” He replaced his finger with this thumb and stroked her lip slowly. “The one that means I didn’t kiss you.”
“I never had a pout like that.”
He nodded and leaned in, the heat of his look intent on her. “You did. I just don’t think either of us knew what it meant at the time.”
“And what does this pout mean?”
“This one right here?” He removed his thumb from her lip and brushed her furrowed brow again. “This one means I’ve managed to hurt your feelings again, and you don’t want to spoil the night, so you’re not saying anything.”
“No.”
He nodded again and brushed her lips with his own. “Yes.”
“Xander…”
“I haven’t had time to miss this, Willow.” He kissed her again, making a soft sound as her lips parted under his. “I didn’t say anything about missing you.”
Sometimes
Logan pushed off the wall and lands firmly on his feet, causing Veronica to jerk to a stop as he blocked the sidewalk. “Did you want something?”
He reached out and fingered a long lock of her blonde hair. “I always want something from you, Veronica.”
“Yeah? Well, too bad you won’t get it.” She brushed past him, her arm pulling away from his as she walks. He shook his head, the movement catching her eye as he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the alcove of the wall.
“No?”
“You can’t always get what you want.”
“That may be true.” He caressed her cheek with the back of his finger, running it slowly over the sharp delineation of bone. “But it does imply that sometimes you do get it.”
“Not this time.”
He leaned in and ran a quick tongue over her lips. “No?”
She raised her eyes to his and stepped toward him, eliminating the slight distance between them, her hands threading together at the nape of his neck. Her smile lit her face like starlight before he stole it away in a kiss.
Course
“You do know what you’re doing, right?”
“Your confidence in me is heartening, Potter. It’s also likely to get you thrown overboard, but I appreciate your efforts to buck up my ego.”
“Like you need any help there, Witter.” She glanced down at the panel in front of him. “I mean, you know how to read this, right?”
“No. I’ve committed myself to a summer at sea, but I decided to make it a real adventure and didn’t bother to learn how to sail.” He pointed to the bench behind him. “Go sit down.”
“What if it stops working?”
Sighing, Pacey killed the engine, holding the wheel as the boat slowly drifted the lazy roll of the waves. He walked back to where she was sitting and sank down beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, marveling silently for a moment at having the freedom to do so. “Look up.”
“Pacey…”
“Look up.” He reached over and hooked two fingers beneath her chin, tilting her head back to the sky. “What do you see?”
“Air pollution? The Concorde? A hole in the ozone layer?”
“Stars. More stars that you can ever see in Capeside.” He lifted his free hand and pointed. “See that one?”
“Yeah.”
“North star.”
“I knew that.”
“See that?”
“Big dipper.”
“And that?”
“Pacey, is this some sort of astronomy lesson, or are you going to start telling me my horoscope?”
He sighed and closed his eyes before turning his head to her and offering her a small smile. “I don’t know if you know this, Potter, but hundreds of years ago? They didn’t have all this new-fangled equipment.”
“New-fangled? Did you actually just say new-fangled?”
“And yet they managed to do many, many great things. Mounted expeditions. Sailed the seven seas. Discovered there were, in fact, seven seas.”
“I sense an important lesson here.” She leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder, her hand against his chest. “Give you a ship?”
He nodded and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. “And a star to sail her by, Potter. And a star to sail her by.”
Color
House leaned on his cane and stared down at the yellow blanket spread out over the grass, the gleam of the green in the starlight almost black. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“No. Sit down.”
“On the grass.”
“On the blanket.” Cameron patted the space next to her, her face a mask of polite control. “Now.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He stabbed the center of the blanket with his cane and lowered himself slowly, glaring at her when she reached out as if to help. She pulled her and back and ignored his grumbled protests, reaching into the backpack beside her and pulling out a bottle of wine.
“You have wine in a backpack?”
“Well, a picnic basket seemed ill advised for a midnight ride on your motorcycle. I improvised.”
“Ah.” He took the cup she offered him and sipped, leaning back on one hand. “You could have said no.”
She gave him a look and took a drink of her own. “You believe that?”
House smiled in response and shook his head, taking another sip of wine. “No.”
Twain
The stars were gleaming, their frail light glinting off the fresh fallen snow. In the near distance, Portsmouth was shrouded by fog and smoke, the black fall of soot clinging to the white and grinding it away to gray.
“If you look one direction, Horatio, it’s like another world.”
“And if you look the other, Archie, it’s very clearly the same.”
Kennedy smiled and tilted his head back, closing his eyes and inhaling the crisp salty tang of air. Horatio watched him, a ghost of a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. “That’s the difference between you and I, you know. You see reality and I see possibility.”
Horatio leaned closer to his friend, his voice dropped low so that only they could hear, despite the cold air amplifying the sound. “Next time we’re ashore, Mr. Kennedy, perhaps the two shall meet?”