Vignette: Blink (1/1)

[effie214.livejournal.com]

Title:  Blink
Author:  effie214
Characters/Pairing:  DG/Cain.  (Look, Ma, no angst!)
Rating:  PG (for innuendo)
Summary:  Life is defined by blink-and-you'll-miss-them moments. 
Warnings:  Is relative fluff a warning?
Disclaimer:  None of the characters herein are mine.  This story is meant solely for entertainment purposes.  No infringement is intended.
Author's Notes:  I am so, so sorry for spamming you all again so soon.  But I needed to clear my head and palate of the angst from "No Humans Allowed", and this was the result.  I hope you enjoy it.
Crossposted like it's going out of style, to both tinman_ficand tin_and_jewels, plus my journal.

Seemingly innocuous moments truly define the depth of a relationship. They tether the unbound, light what is dark, define the unspeakable.

They clatter on as a projector, sliding frame by frame, so quickly that the motion is background noise, and the snapshots barely pass into conscious comprehension.

Blink and you’ll miss them.

The depth of a relationship is found in the wordless ease of a breakfast eaten before either sun is up, where coffee and toast and jam trade hands in a synchronized and long practiced dance. It is found in a hand at the small of the back, a teasing wink so quick it barely existed, in spending the time between the rolling of the thunder watching how the lightning brightens already blinding blue eyes.

The profundity of love is found in one party taking a position he finds ill-fitting, but doing so anyway because they both know he is the only one she trusts, and he cannot deny her, even if he tried. It lives and breathes in hearts, bodies, sheets and minds tangled together, and knowing that even if the respite is brief, its effects will sustain both of them beyond the great divide.

The strength of admiration is found in underlying respect and faith absolute, in knowing it is safe to rant and rave, for judgment shall never come to pass within these four walls as it does outside them. It exists in the simple silence in their respective offices, when he sits on her couch with his paperwork, and she curls up, laying her head in his lap, with hers. It is inherent in how when one of them storms out, they never walk away; they never slam the door to shut the other out. It resides in the safety of the night, when he holds her and they both believe, for the most fleeting of moments, that tomorrow will be a better day.

The definition of a future lies in how easily she removes his tarnish, and how he lets her guide him to the sunlight again. It resides in how relatively easily the wedding band could slide off his hand, and how she’ll be there to hold it, even if the ring never leaves his finger.

The inherent heat is not found in searing kisses or stubble rubbed against milky skin. It is located in a last minute kiss to the temple, when he is going one way and she is going another. It dwells in how they take their time when they are together, no matter how frantic the rest of their lives may be; they cannot help but memorize every plane, every scar, every freckle, walking fingers searing tenderness into their memories. It is discovered in a lingering gaze across a dining table, momentarily ignorant of anyone else in the room, whether it be her family or his, and stays in the form of the faintest blush, giving away their secret. 

“I love you” is heard in a thousand different variations, in a smile across a room and two hundred stuffy diplomats; in a full, bright laugh or a deep chuckle saved only for the other. It is conveyed in the desperate sobs in the midnight hour. It is gleaned from endless talks about everything and anything, and from saying nothing at all. Sometimes words just have no meaning, and sometimes they just don’t have enough.

These moments are seconds split over the length of a lifetime. Blink and you’ll miss them.

Don’t blink.

FIN

Comments

[n-e-star.livejournal.com]

I give up, I'll will never been able to write something as moving as that.

[effie214.livejournal.com]

Goodness, I don't know what to say, except thank you. And that I doubt your comment is true at all. :) I'm glad you enjoyed the piece. It was a departure for me, and I was unsure about it. Thank you again!

[averypartofme.livejournal.com]

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^That? Is me. Having no words.

I agree with n_e_star. I'm packin' it in. That was just too perfect. The imagery is gorgeous and your prose is phenomenal. Gah.

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[effie214.livejournal.com]

Goodness, thank you SO much. (Though, please don't pack it in, I loved "Two Different People".) I'm so glad the piece worked for you.

Thank you for taking the time to read and comment! It completely made my day.

[tardisinthesgc.livejournal.com]

Effie. You. Are. Brilliant. *rereads then faints*

[effie214.livejournal.com]

Meep! Don't faint! I don't think my homeowner's insurance covers fanfic related injuries...

Seriously, though, thank you so much for your lovely comment. I'm sitting here with a stupid, stupid grin on my face.

[caroly-214.livejournal.com]

Wow. That was utterly beautiful. So perfect for them. The imagery is everyday things, but it's so profound. Excellent!

[lattelady6.livejournal.com]

I love this story. I like the quiet way you showed their relationship.

[effie214.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I really believe the beauty of everyday life is in the simplest of things, and I wanted to include that without it seeming mundane or cliched. I'm very glad to hear you thought it worked.

Thank you for taking the time to read and comment! It means a lot.

[ex-nadeshiko480.livejournal.com]

I agree with everyone else. Nothing I can write comes even close to what you wrote!
You so totally break down Cain and DG's relationship from body language to things that they say and do with each other. You write so beautifully I can just picture each of these acts in my head so clearly almost as if I were watching it on television.
This is probably my most favorite ficlet written by you yet and I can't wait to read more!!

[brunette89.livejournal.com]

Sheesh, i don't know how you do it. I don't think I could write anything like this either, you are amazing!!!

[effie214.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I'm glad the imagery worked for you--it was hard to keep the simplicity of it all without it feeling boring. :)

Thank you, as always, for reading and commenting. It made my morning!

[effie214.livejournal.com]

Okay, your icon is LOVE. Just had to mention that.

Thank you so much for your lovely comment--I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

[brunette89.livejournal.com]

haha thanks. :D


I did!