Title: Something in Return

Pairing: Shinon/Rolf

Theme: Ice/Snow/Christmas

A/N: This is just…ugh, totally plotless? I just wanted to write something Shinon/Rolf related. xD This…is probably out of character, I'm sorry.

It was midwinter, the animals were hibernating, and snow covered all over the place—from the forest to the rivers. Through the icicles and snow covered branches, Rolf was swiftly making his way back into the mess hall, a small leather bag packed full hung loosely on his belt. Upon entering, he let out a sigh of happiness when the warm air inside suddenly hit his cold, pink cheeks. The boy pulled off his wet, snow covered blue jacket, no longer needing it. There were a few holes in it, which reminded Rolf to tell his brother, Oscar, to fix it for him later.

With only his orange turtle neck on, Rolf ran off past the mess hall and off to his room. It used to be shared with Boyd, but then everyone else realized that the two boys were probably getting too big to share a room. Rolf didn't mind, it was exciting to finally have something for himself, be it a room or his own little secrets.

He quickly shut the door, locking it, feeling the pleasure of finally being able to have privacy. It made him feel like he was older and not a little boy anymore—yes, like Oscar or even Boyd!

The green haired boy reached under his bed, pulling out an object—neither large nor small—wrapped carefully in bits and pieces of ripped and unneeded scrap cloth. He smiled, unwrapping it carefully, revealing a medium sized bow. Unlike all the bows that Rolf had wielded, especially the one Shinon made for him, this one looked rougher, as if it wasn't complete yet. It didn't have that smooth, wooden gleam, nor did it seem to arch fully like a real bow, but nonetheless, it was still a bow.

Rolf was content with his handiwork. It had been better than the one he made for Shinon during the Mad King's War, which was another pro. This time, Shinon would surely not throw it out! He was so sure that his teacher, the man he wanted to become, would love it and use it for every battle, making sure that it would never break or weather, just like his other bows. Shinon would use it in time of need, and when asked, he would proudly say that his pupil had made the bow for him.

It was just a coincidence that he had finished the bow a few days before Christmas. Now all he needed was some nice cloth and wrap it better, like a real gift. It'll be the best gift the older sniper would ever get this year!

Rolf couldn't contain his giggles and grins when he was approaching towards the target field, where Shinon usually was. He wasn't practicing, like Rolf would usually do, rather, just there to get away from the others. Usually, the man would be dead drunk, slurring and drawling out his almost incoherent words, but Rolf didn't mind. It made Shinon more of a man, especially when the scent of alcohol mixed with his usual scent, which strangely smelled like wood. It wasn't bad, it was just…Shinon.

He finally stepped up to Shinon, now with a grin on his face. "Uncle Shinon!" Rolf called out, a big puff of white smoke emitting from his mouth. He ran up, giving the man a hug, attempting to wrap his arms around the older man's stomach (his arms were just a tad bit short, so he never made it the full way around). "Uncle Shinon! I want to tell you something!"

Rolf heard a grunt from Shinon. "Rolf, I'm not your mother. Don't go around telling me things I'm not interested in. Go find your little girlfriend, Mist, or something."

"B-but Uncle Shinon!" Rolf protested, giving the red haired man the best puppy eyes he could come up with. "It's your Christmas gift! Look!" He handed Shinon the bow, now wrapped carefully with greenish cloth, the same color as Shinon's usual clothes, and tied with a black ribbon—something that oddly reminded Shinon of that old hair tie he threw out the other day.

Shinon looked at the boy's excited face—the stupid grin, and the pinkish cheeks from the cold, the bright red nose that could easily be mistaken as Rudolph, and those big pools of bright green eyes. He looked down to the boy's gloved hands, over towards the gift that he was supposed to take. Shinon could have sighed. The neon green haired boy just liked him too much. "I don't want it, Rolf. I don't celebrate this stupid holiday. Now stop bothering me."

"Please? I worked really hard on it a-and…" Rolf trailed off, those pools of bright green quickly faded into a dulled one. It looked as if he was holding back tears of dejection, the ones that Shinon usually sees when he refuses something from Rolf.

"Come on, Rolf…Stop crying—Ugh, fine. Gimme your stupid gift." Shinon snatched the gift from the boy's hands and quickly pulled the ribbon off, not caring that it slipped down the wrapping and gently landed on the snow. He peeled the cloth off only to meet face to face with a wretched brown…thing.

He couldn't really describe it, nor could he call it anything he knew. It was just some arched up piece of wood with a string attached at the ends, bringing them together. Shinon finally decided to ask, "What is it?"

The small hopeful smile on Rolf's face faded and yet again, tears formed in his eyes. "It was a bow, Uncle Shinon… I…I wanted to make something nice for you this year…" He murmured unhappily, the look of disappointment written all over his young face.

With a sigh, Shinon replied, "If you wanted to do something nice for me this year, then get better than me, Rolf."

"But still…"

"Rolf, stop crying—Come on."

The boy wiped the tears away with his arm, which felt like it was nearly frozen in the cold. Rolf still couldn't believe that Shinon steps outside in the freezing cold every day, it was crazy! "Uncle Shinon… I wanted to make my teacher happy… I really admire you and I want to get better, you've already done so much for me…and I just wanted to pay you back…"

"Rolf, you're being an idiot." Shinon grunted and walked back inside, still with Rolf's homemade bow in hand. "Fine, I'll use it when we're fighting bandits next time. Alright?"

The stupid grin returned on Rolf's face, his cheeks lit up in a brighter pink. "Really?" He gasped out, a few puffs of white smoke-like breaths could be seen, which was probably from his rigid breathing. Was it due to excitement or not, Shinon did not know.

"Yeah, now let's get back. You're going to freeze to death before your fourteenth birthday. And if your brother catches me—which he probably wouldn't—he'd probably have my hide for killing his brother like this."

"O-okay!" Rolf exclaimed, running towards the older man, following in the foot prints Shinon had made in the snow. Someday, he hoped to be just like Shinon, making big tracks in the snow unlike the small tiny ones he makes now.

In the end, Shinon really did toss the bow out, much to Rolf's displeasure. Then again, it didn't keep Rolf from making him more. Shinon never did say if it was a good Christmas or not.

For Rolf, it really was nice to give something back in return.