The Perfect Present

A chilly gale of wind blew throughout the town as a light snowfall danced toward the ground. It was a quaint sight. The weather was a sure sign of a much bigger and impending storm dawning, but for now, it was simply perfect winter magic. Many were outside, dressed up in their warmest gear, living in the moment. Surely they were taking in the winter weather, soaking up the last bit of the relaxed falling flakes before blizzards were sure to blaze thorough. Everything was lively. 

Perhaps none were more lively and all over the place than Leif, currently running down the road as fast as his legs could carry him. 

Crap, crap, crap! Why did I hold of for this long to go shopping for gifts?? All the stores are gonna close for the storm soon and I don't have anything for-

Her train of thought was stopped when he noticed all this worry had him distracted enough to nearly barrel into another cat. Said cat's eyes widened as they took notice and jumped back slightly while Leif had to make herself skid to a stop, nearly falling over into a face plant. 

"Woah! Dude! You nearly x'd me!" the pale blue-orange cat with a horn spoke. Despite her speech being loud and full of surprise, she still managed to sound like she had just woken up. 

"Uh, sorry about that! My head's not very clear at the moment, thinking about a lot of things." Leif spoke sheepishly, scratching the back of his head through his gloves. 

"What's up? Are you ok?" The other cat cocked her head to the side, sleepy-looking eyes filling with some degree of concern. 

"Oh! Nothing for you to be concerned about! Just... holiday shopping woes, y'know?" Leif responded. 

"Oh, I see. Well, I'm sure you'll find the perfect gifts for whoever you're buying for before the shops close, you don't gotta run." The other spacecat sounded so droopy it nearly made Leif yawn. She then took her front left paw and put it on Leif's shoulder. 

"Just remember, gift giving isn't about the thing you're giving, it's about the thought and heart you put into it." Leif was silent for a second. 

"I... guess you're right. Thanks, um-" 

"I'm Pop Rocks." She replied, guessing what Leif's question was before she spoke. 

"I'm Leif. It was nice meeting you, but I gotta go now, sorry!" With that Leif sprinted off again, leaving Pop Rocks behind. 

"Quit runnin'! There's ice everywhere!" Pop Rocks raised her voice as loud as she could, calling towards the brown cat, but the warning seemed to not phase him, so she chose not to pester. 

_______ 

Leif had made it to the first row of shops in town, finally taking a breather from all the running. She took a casual stroll through the street, looking through the big display windows out front of all the buildings.

That's a nice jacket, maybe I can get that... but Iris already has a nice jacket, would they really want another? Same thing with those hats and scarves...

The next place he saw was a cafe. 

Maybe I can get them some fresh coffee! But this place doesn't sell their favourite flavour, and I don't know what tastes similar to it... not that I'd want to cheap out on their present with a substitute...

This process continued with every store in the row, with Leif spotting a potential gift, second guessing if Iris would even want it, and moving on to the next shop. Rinse and repeat. He had done this for so long she had completely lost track of time, checking nearly ever store around for that one perfect gift, until he finally took the time to notice. 

The snow was getting heavier. 

All the shops were going to close and he had nothing. 

No!

There was still one more row of shops in this area! If she was quick about it, he could get to all of them before they locked up for the storm that had begun to arrive. He had to hurry. Picking up the pace, Leif began to sprint again, quickly bounding around to make it to the final stores. 

In a flash, Leif felt one of his legs slip out from under him. Caught off guard, she stumbled a couple of feet, right over a snow bank and crashing down into the white snow. Before Leif had time to react to that, the branches of the tree above her had decided that was the perfect time to release the snow that had been weighing them down, all of it coming crashing down of the unfortunate kitty. He had felt it fall down the back of his sweater hood, sending a nasty chill through her body. 

Leif didn't want to get up. He simply whimpered like a sad child at the situation that just transpired. How pathetic of her. 

"Leif, are you alright? I saw you trip." 

A familiar voice ran through her ears, causing him to lift up his head to the source, causing more snow to run down his body. Sure enough, she was greeted to the sight of... 

"Iris! H-hey! I'm ok-k-kay!" His voice stuttered through a cold-induced chatter. Iris had held out one of their paws for assistance. Leif took one of their bare paws in his own gloved ones and they helped pull him from the snow bank. Once back on the path, Leif shook the extra snow from her fur. 

"How did you end up falling in there anyways?" Iris' voice was in their usual monotone, but Leif picked up a hint of concern. 

"I... slipped on ice..." He admitted shamefully, turning a bit red and attempting to avert his gaze with Iris. 

"You don't need to feel embarrassed about it. It's better that you are ok, but please be more careful next time." 

"R-Right..." 

Leif still couldn't make eye contact with his friend. Iris moved their paws to feel near his neck. They frowned slightly. 

"You're freezing." 

"I'll be ok-k-ay! It's just a little s-snow. I'm gonna go home now." 

"No. I'm not going to let you walk all the way to your home with the weather getting worse. Mine is much closer. You are coming with me." 

Leif knew he didn't have much authority to object when Iris got serious. Not like she minded, anyways. He did like hanging with Iris too, so I guess it wouldn't hurt. 

"Alright. Let's go." 

______ 

Inside of Iris' home, Leif sat in front of the fireplace. He had been instructed to do so by his friend as they took all of her winter gear and threw it into the dryer to freshen up. Leif had also been given a soft, heavy blanket to wrap around himself. It helped warm him up a lot, and he delighted in the pressure it gave. Leif already thought Iris was going way out of their way with all of this, but it seems they weren't done yet, as they came out with a tray supporting two mugs. They sat down next to him and grabbed one of the drinks, handing it to him. 

"This one is yours. Be careful, it's still hot." 

Leif accepted the offering, bringing up the mug to take a gentle sip of its contents. A cup of hot chocolate, prepared in his favourite way. He watched Iris do the same from theirs. No doubt they chose their own favourite: coffee, pure black. 

"Wow, thanks, Iris. This is way too kind. You know you didn't need to do all of this..." Leif spoke softly, looking them in the eyes. 

"I know I didn't need to, I wanted to." Iris retorted with no second thoughts. 

God, they're so perfect… Leif thought to herself. Doing all of this just for me when I can't even figure out a present for them.

His thinking caused his gaze to avert, choosing to stare down at the mug in his paws solemnly. Iris took notice within seconds. 

"Is something wrong? Does it not taste good? I apologize." 

"No! This is perfect, it tastes great!" Leif's flustered outburst nearly caused the mug to spill, so he quickly calmed down. "It's..." A sigh. "Something else..." 

"You know you can tell me anything, if you'd like." 

"I wouldn't want to burden you with this. It's kinda stupid, anyways." 

"Your problems are not going to burden me, no matter how 'stupid' you think they are. So, if you are willing, please tell me. I will listen. You listen to all my problems, don't you?" 

True, Leif was Iris' prime contact to chat or hang out with, supporting them through whatever they were going through, including their forest sessions when Iris had managed to shift forms. Iris' reasoning was solid, so Leif decided it would be fine of him to speak up. 

"I was out gift hunting today, for you actually, but I was having so much trouble with it. I kept convincing myself nothing I could buy would be good enough for you. Not that I think you're shallow like that... but with all the stuff you do for me already, I felt like I needed to repay it, and no gift could ever reflect how grateful I am to be a part of your life. And now with this storm, all the shops are sure to be closed for a few days, meaning I can't get you anything at all now, which is worse than not getting a good gift, because at least you would have something, even if it's not good..." 

"Leif, you know you don't need to buy me anything, right?" 

"I don't need to, you're right, but I want to." 

Iris didn't have a reply for that one right away. They paused, with the pair sitting in silence, until Iris broke it. 

"If you want to get me something, I won't stop you, but I'm going to tell you something." They adjusted, putting their paw on Leif's shoulder. "I don't care what you get me. It can be anything, and I would appreciate it nonetheless. Knowing you took time to pick out something for me is enough for me. I don't care about the object is, I care about your heart being in it." 

That's exactly what Pop Rocks told me... Looks like she was right.

"...Thanks Iris. It's just like you to be so rational. You know me, I'm the overthinker." She chuckled. "I'm so glad we're friends." Leif flashed a heartfelt grin and Iris smiled back. 

"I'm glad too." 

The two sat next to each other for a bit, sipping on their beverages, until the chime of the dryer echoed through the house, indicating the load was done. 

"Looks like your stuff is all dry. You should get going before the snow gets any worse." Iris put down their cup and arose from her spot. "I'll go get it."  They began to walk out of the room. 

"Wait!" 

Iris stopped in their tracks and turned around to face Leif. They stared at each other for a few moments. 

"I, um, haven't finished my hot chocolate yet." He held up his half empty mug. "I gotta stay just a bit longer to finish." 

Iris continued to stare blankly for a bit, then smirked. 

"I see. That's very important. I suppose I should finish my coffee first, too." They spoke while strolling back to their spot next to Leif and sitting back down. 

Needless to say, those clothes sat in the dryer for quite a while.