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roesslyngTitle: Autumn Photographs
Characters/Pairing: Netherlands and Belgium
Rating: E for Everyone
Length: ~530
Summary: Belgium decides to take some pictures while they're out walking together.
Other: Written for Fall Fandom Week on Tumblr. (Original Post)
Autumn Photographs
It was early. The bright morning sun glittered on Amsterdam's canals. In spite of the sunlight, the autumn air was chilled. Belgium wrapped her scarf more firmly around her neck and smiled. It might have been chilly, but it wasn't bad.
At that hour, the buzz that came later in the day hadn't started up yet. The activity in the streets was a quiet hum, bicycles passing but not in crowds, no ring-ring-ringing of bells to make tourists scatter out of the bike lanes. The mood was easy. Light breeze. No rain. The leaves on the trees along the canals rustled, bright as flames - orange, gold, red.
She took hold of her brother's hand as they walked together. When Netherlands looked down at her, she smiled up at him, warm and broad. That didn't make him look any less confused about the gesture, but she didn't mind.
As they crossed a canal, making their way over a bridge, she stopped him. "Wait," Belgium said, tugging at the sleeve of Netherlands' jacket.
He loomed, brows furrowing. "What?" he asked.
"Stand here," she said, nudging him against the bridge railing. "It's nice out. I want to take a picture."
"... So why do I have to stand here?"
"I want to take your picture."
Netherlands snorted. "No," he said flatly. He gave her a stern look, as if he thought that would deter her. But Belgium had seen that look from him plenty of times, and she wasn't going to be dissuaded.
"Oh, come on, now. It's beautiful out, and I want a picture of my brother in his city." She watched his face, the way his expression flickered before that stern look returned. She knew that he knew that she had a point - that the glittering water, the lazily falling leaves, the warm sun brushing the canal houses with golden light, all of it was lovely. And that it was here - well, that would be very nice, wouldn't it. "Please?"
He huffed. "Fine," he said, surrendering. "Make it quick."
"Fine!" She laughed, gave him another nudge, then moved away. "Just stay like that, and look at the water."
Slowly, she took a few steps back. Pulled out her phone. Checked. Oh, she could catch the light well enough, and at that angle she wouldn't get any glare from the brightness. Good. But his expression was still firm, his lips drawn tight. Netherlands never really was all that fond of getting his picture taken.
"You know," she said as she stepped back just a bit further to get a better angle, "You could take one of me after this. Or we could do one together. Send them to Lux; show him what he's missing."
There was a second - and then the look on her brother's face softened. Was that a tug at the corner of his lips? Almost a smile? Belgium grinned, and snapped the picture quickly. "Done!" she said. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"
He turned toward her then, holding out his hand for her phone. "Your turn," he said, and that ghost of a smile that she'd seen broadened.
There was no 'almost' about it, not any more.
Characters/Pairing: Netherlands and Belgium
Rating: E for Everyone
Length: ~530
Summary: Belgium decides to take some pictures while they're out walking together.
Other: Written for Fall Fandom Week on Tumblr. (Original Post)
Autumn Photographs
It was early. The bright morning sun glittered on Amsterdam's canals. In spite of the sunlight, the autumn air was chilled. Belgium wrapped her scarf more firmly around her neck and smiled. It might have been chilly, but it wasn't bad.
At that hour, the buzz that came later in the day hadn't started up yet. The activity in the streets was a quiet hum, bicycles passing but not in crowds, no ring-ring-ringing of bells to make tourists scatter out of the bike lanes. The mood was easy. Light breeze. No rain. The leaves on the trees along the canals rustled, bright as flames - orange, gold, red.
She took hold of her brother's hand as they walked together. When Netherlands looked down at her, she smiled up at him, warm and broad. That didn't make him look any less confused about the gesture, but she didn't mind.
As they crossed a canal, making their way over a bridge, she stopped him. "Wait," Belgium said, tugging at the sleeve of Netherlands' jacket.
He loomed, brows furrowing. "What?" he asked.
"Stand here," she said, nudging him against the bridge railing. "It's nice out. I want to take a picture."
"... So why do I have to stand here?"
"I want to take your picture."
Netherlands snorted. "No," he said flatly. He gave her a stern look, as if he thought that would deter her. But Belgium had seen that look from him plenty of times, and she wasn't going to be dissuaded.
"Oh, come on, now. It's beautiful out, and I want a picture of my brother in his city." She watched his face, the way his expression flickered before that stern look returned. She knew that he knew that she had a point - that the glittering water, the lazily falling leaves, the warm sun brushing the canal houses with golden light, all of it was lovely. And that it was here - well, that would be very nice, wouldn't it. "Please?"
He huffed. "Fine," he said, surrendering. "Make it quick."
"Fine!" She laughed, gave him another nudge, then moved away. "Just stay like that, and look at the water."
Slowly, she took a few steps back. Pulled out her phone. Checked. Oh, she could catch the light well enough, and at that angle she wouldn't get any glare from the brightness. Good. But his expression was still firm, his lips drawn tight. Netherlands never really was all that fond of getting his picture taken.
"You know," she said as she stepped back just a bit further to get a better angle, "You could take one of me after this. Or we could do one together. Send them to Lux; show him what he's missing."
There was a second - and then the look on her brother's face softened. Was that a tug at the corner of his lips? Almost a smile? Belgium grinned, and snapped the picture quickly. "Done!" she said. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"
He turned toward her then, holding out his hand for her phone. "Your turn," he said, and that ghost of a smile that she'd seen broadened.
There was no 'almost' about it, not any more.
