It All Started with Some Snowfall

Hello and Happy Holidays to all that are joining me with this fic. So, with the holiday season well underway, I decided to write up a few holiday chapters for my OTP of all OTPs, Cielabeck. There will be twelve in all.

These chapters were inspired by a collection of christmas prompts, 24 in all. I started this last year when I had much less time to write, so I had clumped ideas that worked together, instead of simply working on one prompt a day. I am still doing this as I still don't have much time to write. I'll be hopefully releasing chapters up until Christmas Day. If I fall to the wayside… I'll figure that out as I go.

Another point is that for some of the ideas to work, universes will change, mainly between a normal universe, and a modern 'verse. A side note for the normal 'verse chapters, Ciela is simply a Hylian Spirit with no history of ever being a fairy. This will make it so I'm not explaining why she is suddenly a Hylian spirit. Also, the King's Ocean (where Oshus rules) and the Great Sea are one world, but with differing deities ruling over them. Kinda like our world.

Another note, I will do my best to keep to a kinda nondescript holiday theme, as not everyone celebrates Christmas. I may try and come up with an alternate holiday that would fit more in Hylian terms. Like Santa is Gaepora for such and such reason.

Okay, so world building over, onward to the story!

...

"Hey, head's up, Moron!"

"Sparkles, what in Farore's name- ACK!"

Ciela punched the air with both hands. "Ha ha! Right in the chest!" She cackled madly as she darted behind a tree, diving down to make more snowballs to use against Linebeck.

"Sparkles, shouldn't a spirit be acting a little more mature!" Linebeck yelled, angrily brushing snow off his coat. He looked up in time to avoid another snowball. "What the hell!?"

Ciela popped out from the tree. "Oh, I'm acting childish? Hah! Says the man who will get into a slap fight with a thirteen year old child over the last sweet!" Ciela tossed another snowball up and down in her hand. "Besides, you've had a stick up your ass for the last few weeks. Loosen up!" She launched another snowball at the captain.

Linebeck swore very colorfully after being too slow and getting nailed right in the face. "So that's how it's gonna be…" He muttered, turning around and stooping down to begin making ammo for himself. However, he didn't think about his position.

Linebeck flailed about before faceplanting into the snow when Ciela's snowball nailed him right in the butt. He shot back up, sputtering. "What was that?!" Linebeck sputtered, indignant anger rising in him. "I was making a Goddesses damn snowball!"

Ciela stood a few feet away from the tree she was using as cover, hands on her hips, looking confused. "Haven't you ever had a snowball fight?" She asked. "You find cover and that's when you make snowballs. You make them right out in the open like that, you're gonna get hit."

Linebeck shuffled to the side, scoffing. "Look, just cause some of us have real responsibilities…" He paused for Ciela's indignant "Hey!". He continued, now behind some crates. "Honestly, Sparkles. Maybe I'm not not one to talk, but you really should act more mature. You're a spirit. Shouldn't you be setting a better example?"

Ciela pursed her lips, feelings of bitterness and disquiet ruining her previous joyful mood from the snowfall that passed over Mercay overnight. She half-heartedly kicked at the snow, shoving her gloved hands into her pockets. "Fine, Moron. Since you're gonna be a prick about this, I'll go meditate or something- Holy shit!"

Linebeck let out a crow of triumph, echoing Ciela's earlier movements. "See how it feels to be on the receiving end, Sparkles!" He called, before diving behind the stacked crates.

Linebeck had used the different sized crates to his advantage. Using a crate that was around waist height and a larger one in front of it, Linebeck began balling together the snow on top. To make sure Ciela didn't notice anything, he distracted her with his words. Using her momentary drop in guard, he hurled the snowball at the Spirit, nailing her chest.

Ciela looked down in disbelief at the snow dripping from her chest, before looking back up at Linebeck peeking over the crates with a sly smile. A giddy laugh erupted from her chest. "Oh, so that's what you're playing at, huh!"

Ciela ducked behind her tree, using some brush at the base for cover. Immediately, she went to work at the ground around her. Soon, a small pile of snowballs rested behind her tree cover. She kneeled back up and instantly ducked back down as a snowball went sailing over her head.

Ciela sent a snowball back in retaliation, throwing with all her might to make the crates some thirty feet away. She knew that she should get closer and to a better position that would give her more access to Linebeck, since she wouldn't be able to make all the shots to him.

Linebeck tried to duck but was too slow, getting hit a fourth time. He scooped together two snowballs. Glancing around the side, Linebeck took note of Ciela's position. Chuckling, Linebeck prepared to throw another snowball.

Ciela yelped, dropping her half formed snowball when Linebeck's snowball hit the top of the thick brush and sent snow scattering over her. She looked up, said "Now that was just pathetic! You weren't aiming for me at all- AGH!" Ciela dived behind the tree, leaning against as she sputtered and wiped snow from her scarf, shivering when cold snow dripped from it onto her bare skin.

"I'll give you credit, that was smart!" Ciela called, not turning back around from her cover. All that answered her was playful laughter from Linebeck.

For a few minutes, the fight played out with Ciela trying make Linebeck's cover, only to have her snowballs fall short or splat against the front of the crates. A few lucky times she managed to nail Linebeck.

However, Linebeck was faring much better, using Ciela's cover against her to lure her out and get hit with a second snowball.

Ciela collapsed against the tree for the umpteenth time, grabbing for her knit hat that Linebeck knocked off with his last throw, and shoved it over her head, not caring about the snow dripping on her already wet, golden hair. She looked to her left side and slightly behind her, spotting a stone wall that she could hide behind, and be closer to Linebeck.

The only problem was that Ciela was going to have to make a run for it across an empty space, with nothing to cover her. Biting her lip, Ciela made her plan, but unsure if she should actually act upon it.

Another shower of snow rained upon her, and Ciela made her decision. Not caring about making it, only wanting a distraction, Ciela launched her last few snowballs toward Linebeck, before shoving herself to her feet and making a break for the wall.

Linebeck stared at the snowballs that broke apart on the ground a few feet away. "Okay, Sparkles, if we're talking pathetic, that was it. Shouldn't Spirit of Time and Courage, be, I dunno, more powerful with throws…" Linebeck trailed off when he saw the yellow clad woman racing for a different cover. "Hey!" He yelled. "Don't think you'll get away with that!"

Quickly finishing the snowball he had been working on, Linebeck watched Ciela for a few moments, raising the snowball in preparation. He then let it fly, feeling that it would hit true.

Except it went a little off in trajectory and ended up nailing the spirit right in the head. Ciela went down with a yelp and planted face-first into a crumpled heap in the snow.

"You really aren't good at this, are you?" Linebeck called, crossing his arms, while smirking.

Ciela didn't respond, nor make any movement.

Linebeck's smirk started to droop away, as a ripple of unease ran through him. "Come on now, are you seriously sulking in the snow? You started this whole fight, so don't whine when you're losing, Sparkles."

Still no response.

"Oh shit, Ciela?!"

Linebeck abandoned his post, running for Ciela through the deep snow, calling her name in dread. From that distance away and with all the layers she had on, Linebeck couldn't tell if she was honestly okay. He didn't think that should have harmed her all that much. Though, he had been planning on hitting her shoulder and not her head, and he did pack that snowball a tad tighter than normal.

"Shit, don't tell me I have to face everyone and tell them I killed her!" Linebeck gasped out."Oshus would smite me on the spot, Neri and Leaf would murder me and hide the body, and the kid would give me that hurt puppy-dog face! I'll never survive!"

Linebeck dropped to his knees beside Ciela, gently grabbing for her shoulder and turning her to him. Her eyes were closed and tiny breaths of air puffed out from her mouth. "Oh thank Din, Nayru, and Farore, I didn't kill you."

Just at that moment, Ciela's eyes popped open and narrowed in on Linebeck. "Gotcha." She whispered, before lunging for the captain.

With a grunt, Linebeck fell into the snow, eyes going wide with surprise. On instinct, he rolled, bringing Ciela with him.

For a few moments, they tussled with each other in the snow, neither one really getting an upper hand. Ciela again lost her hat and scarf to Linebeck, after untwisting from it to avoid being strangled. Linebeck lost one of his gloves. Neither gave any mind to it, not wanting to admit defeat to the other.

However, while their strength was mostly matched, Ciela ended up getting the upper hand, despite being a far fewer inches shorter than Linebeck. She held him against the ground by his shoulders, straddling his midsection. They both were breathing heavily.

Ciela tossed her hair over her shoulder, looking down at Linebeck, breathing heavily. "I believe this makes me the winner." She gasped out, grinning. Her grin slipped away as she continued to stare down at the captain.

Linebeck wasn't even looking at her, his cheeks bright red, as his emerald eyes looked off to one side. In fact, it was almost like he was embarrassed about something. Then slowly his eyes slid back up to meet Ciela's bronze eyes.

Ciela became aware of the fact that his hands were resting on her hips and that she was holding him down in a rather unseemly manner for a spirit. Yet… She didn't move.

"Uh… hey." She lamely said, biting her lip.

If anything, it seemed to make Linebeck more red. He coughed. "Hey."

Only the wind whistled along the snow covered ground, the world going silent around the spirit and the captain as they simply stared at one another in anticipation and expectancy at what was going to occur next.

Linebeck took his hands off of Ciela's hips and gently returned Ciela's hat to her head, since he still had been holding on it tightly. Unsure what he should do with them next, Linebeck awkwardly slid them back down to Ciela's hips.

The spirit shivered, but from the cold or… something else… Ciela wasn't sure.

"So… uh, you won…" Linebeck started. "Mind letting me up now? My ass is kinda freezing."

"Yeah…" Ciela automatically responded. She didn't move for a few moments, then her brain seemed to return to her. "Oh! Yeah, let me just…" Ciela flew off of Linebeck in record time, face flaming even redder. She pushed herself to her feet, feeling her body protest after the work it had been put through.

She heard the snow crunch behind her, signaling that Linebeck was doing the same. Ciela looked around in front of her, trying to see where her scarf had gotten off to.

Linebeck coughed behind her. "I assume you're looking for this?" He asked, voice sounding strange.

Ciela whirled around to see Linebeck holding her scarf in his hands, his lost glove already retrieved. "Oh! Yeah…" Ciela chuckled, scratching at her messy and wet hair.

She started to reach for it, but Linebeck threw her for a loop when he took the ends of the scarf and began putting it on her himself. Ciela froze, hands held out in front of her, unsure what she should be doing with them.

"There… since I was the one to mess it up." Linebeck murmured, again not quite meeting Ciela's eyes. His hands didn't remove themselves from Ciela's scarf.

"Thank you." Ciela murmured back. Her hands finally decided to unfreeze. Ciela swallowed, and hesitantly placed them over top of Linebeck's.

Both their hearts were beating rapidly within their chests, despite it having been several minutes since they were tussling together.

Linebeck was the first to react, despite normally being a coward at making the first moves. His left hand tightened on Ciela's scarf and he gently dragged her forward, his other hand moving up to tilt her face up. Ciela allowed him to do so, knowing what this was going to lead and suddenly realizing that she desperately wanted it to happen.

Their lips met, and something clicked in their brains.

For a few moments, they remained there, the world again nonexistent to them. Then, slowly, achingly, they separated.

Ciela tightened her grip on Linebeck's shoulders as she nearly stumbled from standing on tiptoe to reach Linebeck. She shivered at feeling his hands catch her and press against her lower back.

"Why don't we go warm up in the ship, Sparkles?" Linebeck suggested, chuckling. "I'm freezing, and you have to be too, if you're shivering like that."

"Oh, shut up, Moron." Ciela shot back with no real venom. She reluctantly pulled herself out of Linebeck's arms, mentally agreeing with the man when another shivered, definitely caused by the cold, racked her body.

Linebeck rolled his eyes, and began pushing Ciela toward the S.S. Linebeck some distance away. As they strolled together, their hands met and entwined, signaling the start of something precious and treasured like the first snowfall of the season.

...

So for this chapter, the prompts I clumped together was Snowball fights, "we were playing in the snow and you suddenly tackled me to the ground and now…we're just…staring… at each other…" and finally, pulling you in for a kiss with a scarf.

So, I'll see you all in the next chapter. Again, Happy Holidays!

~Roses