Prompted by the phrase "Popsicles in Summer", from danbi. ^^ I don't own 'em, blah blah blah.
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Somewhere - in storage, most likely – there exists a photo of Watanuki, Yuuko and Mokona at the beach, eating popsicles.
In the photo, it's almost-not-quite perfect beach weather, but it's hard to tell – Yuuko's enormous sunhat is blocking out most of the sky. She's wearing one of those expressions that Watanuki has always hated to see on her face, the kind that says she's about to tell him to do something ridiculous and impossible; luckily, she's looking at the camera and not at him, so Watanuki guesses it's okay. She's holding up her popsicle, though not licking it - it almost looks like a fashion statement.
Beside her, Mokona is in mid-bounce, two popsicle sticks poking out from its tiny mouth like walrus tusks. It's partially blocking Watanuki's face, but of course it doesn't seem to mind.
Watanuki, of course, is flailing, his popsicle completely ignored in his waving hand. He doesn't remember anymore what was aggravating at the time, but at that moment, at least, he seemed to be very passionate about it. Judging from the direction in the photo his annoyance is aimed at, it's probably Doumeki, behind the lens; he'd had his entire popsicle sucked into his mouth by way of storage while taking the picture, that goddamn picture Watanuki couldn't find for the life of him, though he'd searched for two full hours.
Years later, Doumeki and Watanuki sit at the same beach, with the same almost-not-quite kind of weather, doing nothing. Their pinkies are gently linked together, as if they've walked there hand in hand, but whatever they're thinking of has made them release every finger save the last.
Of course, they are alone.