Wherein a word or phrase can be the start of something fun and wonderful.
Some are simply stand-alone ficlets or drabbles. Some link up with published stories. Some end up previews for things yet to come.
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The snow crunches beneath his feet, seemingly absorbing the usual sounds of the surrounding city. Each of his steps holds a two-part crunch: the initial impact of his boots, and then the shift of his weight.
He could have stayed in, hidden away indoors where it was warm. He's had enough of that, though, since Thanksgiving. In this new year he's determined not to hide. And he needs time to think, time to breathe. Somehow the brisk air aids him in that endeavor in a way he can't seem to manage in the house surrounded by his family.
It's because - because even though she's in a different country again, on a different continent entirely at the moment - she's there. She's smiling at him in the kitchen, sitting next to him on the sofa, dashing about with the younglings in the backyard... He hates himself for it, because she could actually be there doing all of those things. Except that she's not.
He could have insisted. He could have held his ground, could have battled back against the woman determined to go to war with him. He could have just given her the goddamned ring like he planned. Instead he had presented an ultimatum, and when his pride was further wounded? Walked. Turned his back on the woman he loved when he should have stayed to provide support.
The cold bites at his chapped lips, the one spot still tending to split because he continues to worry at it rather than allow it to heal properly. He'll be presentable, once more, at least by the end of the month. Presentable just in time to stand in the spotlight, just in time to see her once more.
