#daffy writes

Miguel always had a childlike wonder about him when it came to snow. While Kaine wasn't a huge fan of winter, Miguel's happiness was the one good thing about the season.

A blanket of white fluffy snow had fallen overnight and light flurries were projected to persist for the rest of the day. Miguel was overjoyed and excitedly dragged Kaine out onto their apartment's balcony before they finished their morning coffee. 

Kaine grumbled, giving a token fight about being in the cold, but he secretly loved how Miguel's eyes lit up as surveyed the falling snow, and the pristine snow covering the park across the street. Maybe it wasn't such a secret, because Miguel looked over to Kaine with a sly smile and nudged his shoulder into his. 

They just stood outside for a long moment, admiring the soft white covering every visible surface and enjoying the stillness of the morning. The usual hustle of the city was stifled, but they both knew it wouldn't last forever. 

Miguel reached out and scooped some snow from the railing, testing it in his palm. "We should build a snowman. No- we have to!" 

There was a carefree giddiness to Miguel which Kaine hadn't seen in quite some time, and he absolutely wanted it to never end. Kaine let Miguel lead him down to the park and they quickly began rolling together a few small balls of snow. It was only a little distracting watching Miguel bend over to roll them into larger balls. 

After they finished rolling, they assembled the snowman and Kaine found a few random sticks to use for appendages. The arms were a little uneven, but it got the job done. When Miguel turned his back to find some stones for the eyes, Kaine stuck another stick on a lower part of the snowman.  

"Really, Kaine?" Miguel removed the offensive stick and put it on the snowman's head, then started placing the stones to make eyes. 

"It's not a snowman now. More like a snow-unicorn or something."

Miguel shrugged, "Snow-alien?"

Kaine found himself considering how cute Miguel was yet again. The falling snowflakes fell into Miguel's hair and on his eyelashes. Unable to resist, Kaine gently brushed his lips along Miguel's brows and was truly overwhelmed with affection for the gorgeous man he had decided to spend his life with. 

"Hot cocoa?" Kaine rested his forehead on Miguel's and entangled their fingers together. 

Miguel nodded and breathed a content sigh, gently letting his head slide down rest on Kaine's shoulder. Kaine pressed a kiss to the top of Miguel's head, enjoying their rare moment of bliss. 

prompt 1194  

“What are you doing here?”  

“You asked me to come.”  

“That was a long time ago.”

“What are you doing here?” Erestor's step backwards was subtle, and it would have looked casual to someone who didn't know him half as well as Glorfindel. 

But, know him Glorfindel did. So well, in fact, he nearly recoiled as if the counselor had lunged forward and slapped him. Perhaps that would have been preferable over their usual dance of words and hidden meaning, raw emotions put on display without pretence. 

Glorfindel watched silently as Erestor slid behind his imposing oak desk, putting a physical barrier between them. He knew better than to speak to Erestor without carefully selecting his words, but he was weary of their games; there was an exhaustion at his core which was as much emotional as it was physical. 

“You asked me to come.” Blunt. If he wasn't so sore from his last patrol he might have found the humor in how far he had regressed back to his old habits. Habits he'd grown out of over the centuries he sought Erestor's friendship. Habits he'd changed, with great effort, in his folly to have more. 

Erestor briefly let their eyes meet before he dipped his head towards the open window.  “That was a long time ago.”

Raven hair hid his expression, but Glorfindel could picture the annoyance etched on his features. Maybe a mix of disgust. 

"What is fifty years?" Glorfindel forced a jovial tone, and was glad Erestor wasn't looking at him, for surely his eyes would betray him. Even as he forced himself to answer the question Erestor posed so many years ago, his breathing remained steady- and he wasn't sure whether he could thank the centuries spent mastering the arts of battle, or the pure numbness he'd accepted only a week prior. 

When Erestor continued to give the flowers outside more attention than him, Glorfindel continued. He didn't have the energy to continue to force any light into his words. "I couldn't offer an answer to your question until now, as it came to me while on patrol to the southern border."

Erestor turned further towards the window, "It was a simple question. One even you should have been able to answer. I've seen you since, it is hard not to when we advise the same king."

"And, I didn't have the answer you sought from me, so I stayed away. And…" Glorfindel paused as his throat constricted around his new realization. "And, if you expected my answer to be simple, and easy- then you never truly bothered to get to know me."

"I gave you that option. An offer many wouldn't hesitate to accept. And you-"

"Just stop, Erestor. You truly are every bit as callous and cold-blooded as I thought you were when I first came here. To play our games was one thing- but to toy with me in such a way…" 

This time, it was Glorfindel who stepped away. Every skilled warrior knew when it was time to retreat from the battlefield, and a battlefield Erestor's office truly was. 

"I almost-" This time he couldn't keep the strain from his voice. "I almost gave in. Having you in my bed should have been an easy decision, yet I second guessed myself at every turn. Your new robes at last month's counsel meeting nearly drove me mad."

Glorfindel took another backwards step towards the door, afraid less of what sharp things Erestor may say than what he might reveal himself. Yet, he was exhausted, and couldn't control the words he was spilling into the open. 

"When I rode out nearly a week ago, I did so with the intention to come back here, to this office where you posed your vile question all those years ago. Except, then I had a different answer."

"Did the wind blow a new idea into your empty head?"

"You could almost say that it did. I was reminded of what I truly seek, by a bard we happened across at a small town just across our borders. We stopped due to high winds that night. Fate really. The bard sang of love, a ballad I'd never heard before. A sad tale, really, about someone who settled for something easy instead of following what his heart truly wanted."

"And what is it you truly want?"

"Not this." He left before more damage could be done. They would still need to work together, afterall. Though, Glorfindel suspected it would deteriorate back to how things were before he'd trusted Erestor enough to call him friend  

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