#can2

Icesis has never made a cake, but there’s a first time for everything.

She and Pythia had a long day exploring a sea planet yesterday, and Pythia is still asleep in the bottom bunk, curled up under the extra blanket Icesis always puts on them once they’re sleeping.

She had Kendall write down everything she needs to do, and Icesis is good at following instructions, so she should be able to do this. She once smuggled a crate of medical supplies right out from under a guard’s nose. Hell, she rescued Pythia from the biggest ship in the galaxy. A cake should be no problem.

Right?

She’s just lucky Pythia is a heavy sleeper, because the spoon floats away and hits a wall when the gravity stabilizer malfunctions, and then the bowls—she had to get more at a market just for this cake—keep clanging together, even when she tries to be quiet. Leave it to Pythia to turn her domestic—but Icesis will be the first to admit that the ship is more of a home with Pythia in it, helping her cook and watching the stars with her. And the cake is still a list, just like the ones she makes for smuggling jobs, and it’s easy to cross things off one by one as the cake goes from a pile of ingredients to something resembling a cake. It looks edible, at least, and Icesis is so focused on piping flowers—more supplies she’d had to get just for this; filling the empty drawers in the tiny kitchen—that she doesn’t even notice Pythia until they tell her good morning, and she jumps in her seat, dropping the frosting bag.

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” they say sheepishly. “Wait, is that—is that for me?”

“Yeah.” Icesis leaps to her feet, wiping frosting off her hands and fixing her hair. She wanted to prepare something, but she took too long on the frosting. “I, uh, I’m not always great with words, as you know. But I know your birthdays always had to be formal and you hated them and just wanted a normal birthday with a normal cake, so I figured I’d do this and then we can explore for the day, or do nothing if you want to.”

Pythia is silent, and Icesis keeps rambling. “I made the cake with ingredients from different planets we’ve been to, so it’s like all of them in one. Half is covered in the stars because I know you like to look at them, and I know you liked those flowers from that forest planet so I tried to make them on the other half. They’re probably hideous, though.”

Pythia still hasn’t said anything, but now tears are running down their cheeks, and Icesis’s heart takes off. Pythia doesn’t cry much, so they must really hate it, and they’re crying because Icesis absolutely ruined their birthday and made it the worst one ever, even worse than the royal disasters Pythia told her about when they were drinking hot chocolate in the cockpit together.

“You don’t like it?” Icesis asks. “It’s okay if you don’t, I’ll just trash the whole thing—”

But Pythia shakes their head, grabbing Icesis’s hand. “Ice, I’m crying because I love it. No one’s ever done anything like this for me.”

“Oh,” Icesis mumbles, feeling like an idiot. The feeling goes away immediately, though, when Pythia crushes her in a hug. Icesis has gotten used to their hugs, but they still never stop feeling special. She never stops loving having Pythia this close to her, trusting her when they’ve never really trusted anyone. When Icesis herself has never really trusted anyone.

“I love you,” Pythia says.

The second she felt her head start to hurt, Pythia knew she was fucked. It was too early in the morning to deal with this, and they had a painting date scheduled at Icesis’s apartment in a couple of hours. A migraine was not supposed to be on the agenda for the day.

They rolled out of their bed, going to get her migraine medication, downing the big white pills with Gatorade and getting a glass of water to also drink so they could stay as hydrated as possible. Her doctor had given them a whole list of what to do as soon as her head started hurting, which she never ends up doing until it’s too late.

The last time they had a migraine, they delayed everything because she was in class and didn’t want to leave early. Boy, does she regret that! She had to go to the doctor when the headache was still raging five days later, having to get a shot in a place they did not feel comfortable taking out in front of someone who wasn’t Icesis, even though her girlfriend found the situation hilarious. (It was not.)

Not wanting to cancel on Icesis since this was the first time in two weeks that they were both free at the same time, they hoped that she caught it early enough for it to completely vanish by the time that she had to start getting ready to head to her girlfriend’s apartment.

It did not get better. In fact, it got worse as the hours ticked by, which did not make sense in the slightest to Pythia. By the time she had to start getting ready, they didn’t want to remove her head from the pillow she had slammed their face into an hour prior.

Canceling on Icesis was going to be difficult for her. She had wanted to do a painting date for ages now and was telling Pythia all about the painting tutorial she had found on YouTube and desperately wanted to try. Icesis was so passionate and cute about the entire situation; they didn’t want to let her down and break her heart by postponing it; but there was no way they would be able to make it.

The pain had moved its way down to the back of their neck, something that happened whenever Pythia happened to get a migraine while they were stressed out. Finals were approaching, so it made sense, but it didn’t mean she was okay with it.

Lifting their head off the pillow and grabbing their phone, they decided to call Icesis to cancel instead of through text because the light coming off of the screen was far too much light to deal with.

She answered right away. “Hey! I’m so excited about today! Are you getting ready?”

Fuck. Pythia groaned, “I’m dying. I think I have to cancel, I’m sorry.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Migraine.”

Icesis sighed, going into motherly mode. “Did you take your medicine and hydrate?”

“Yes, right when it started but it got worse. If I have to go back to the doctor, I’m going to cry.”

Icesis stifled a laugh. “My poor baby. What if I came over and kept you company?”

That sounded really nice, Pythia thought, “Please do. I’ll get up and unlock my door for you.”

----

Icesis arrived fifteen minutes later, climbing straight into bed with Pythia and spooning them. “Hi.”

“Hi, hun. I’m really sorry about everything.” Pythia felt terrible about having to cancel, but at least they could still spend some time together.

“Don’t be sorry, it’s not your fault your body hates you. I’m sure you didn’t choose to have a migraine to get out of our date.” One thing Pythia loved about Icesis was how understanding she was with her. Pythia had a terrible fear of letting Icesis down, but that never seemed to happen.

“Do you think I could talk you into getting my pills and some water? I’m supposed to take more after a couple of hours.” Pythia asked, feeling Icesis kiss the top of their head before sitting up and crawling out of the bed.

“Thank you!”

Pythia opened their eyes again as Icesis came back with two white pills and a glass of water, sitting up as they were handed said things. “You’re so nice to me.”

Icesis cracked a small smile, “Well, we are dating. I wouldn’t do this shit for anyone else.”

“I’m gonna tell all of our friends that you’re a softie.” Pythia teased after swallowing the pills.

“You’re going to be mean to me when I’m taking care of you?”

“I won’t tell anyone if you rub the back of my neck,” The pain in that spot was truly awful, almost as bad as her head hurt, and they wanted it gone.

“Deal.”

Icesis’s hands felt spectacular on the back of their neck, the pain slowly easing as the minutes passed by. The massage made Pythia so relaxed that she ended up dozing off, waking up to no neck pain and only a small headache.

Her girlfriend was still in bed with her, scrolling through Instagram. “I feel better for the most part.” They said, scooting closer to her.

“Well, that’s good, I’m glad.”

“All thanks to you, Doctor Icesis.” She teased, leaning over to kiss her girlfriend on the cheek.

“Does that mean I get to give you the shot in your ass?”

Pythia squealed, “Shut up about that! I was mortified!” It was really not something they wanted to recall, but Icesis loved bringing up.

1.

“I’m home!” Synthia calls as she steps into the apartment. “And I have leftovers!”

The synchronized cheers make Synthia laugh as Gia and Kendall come thudding into the kitchen. One of the perks of working in a bakery is that she often gets to take home the leftovers her manager deems ‘undesirable’–-a cupcake with lopsided frosting, a crumbly cookie, a brownie a little too dark around the edges–-and it’s a perk that she and her partners fully indulge in. Synthia loves seeing their smiles when she surprises them with stuff, even if it doesn’t compare to the joy she gets when she makes them something herself.

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” Gia asks around a mouthful of chocolate cupcake.

“Same,” Kendall mumbles.

“You just say that because I bring home dessert,” Synthia says.

“You’re right, that’s the only reason we keep you around,” Gia teases.

“Just for that, I’m taking the last one.” Synthia snatches the last cupcake out of the box and takes a huge bite. “And I deserve kisses,” she adds with a pout.

Kendall grins. “If you want kisses, we’ll give you kisses.” She scoops Synthia up in her arms, pressing kisses to her cheek and holding her so Gia can kiss the other side of her face, both getting frosting all over her. Synthia laughs until her stomach hurts and Kendall gently sets her down, wiping her face and dropping a non-frosting kiss to her forehead.

“We love you, Synth,” Gia whispers. “Always.”

“I love you too.”

—

2.

“Is everyone ready?” Gia asks seriously. “Because this is the most important road trip we’ve ever taken.”

Kendall nods in the driver’s seat while Synthia cheers from the back, already dancing to the playlist Kendall made for today. Technically this road trip is only important for Gia-–they’re going to get two new Squishmallows that are sold out everywhere and unavailable for shipping–-but Kendall and Synthia love a road trip too, with Kendall providing the music and Synthia searching for a perfect place for them to have lunch. The drive passes in a blur of laughter until they finally arrive at the mall, and Gia is running before Kendall even stops the car, her partners trailing after her.

The mall has a whole Squishmallow store, and Gia gasps in awe when they cross the entrance, hands reaching out for all those stuffed animals. But they’re here on a mission, and they’re going to complete it. They grab the first one and tuck it securely under their arm, but the second one is just slightly out of reach.

“I got it, Gia.” Kendall finally appears and stretches up to grab the last stuffed animal, grinning when Gia cheers.

They smile the whole way out of the mall and through lunch at a diner Synthia found where they all get giant milkshakes, and even as they slide into the backseat, taking up the space with their new stuffed animals.

“I can’t believe we drove two hours for stuffed animals,” Kendall mutters, but Gia knows she’s smiling.

“Hey, these are limited edition collectors’ stuffed animals,” Gia says, and they all laugh. Gia is bursting with love for their partners, for two people willing to take this little trip for them. They reach up into the front seat, kissing Kendall’s cheek and then Synthia’s. “I love you both,” they whisper, and they lean back and soak up the love on the drive home.

—

3.

Kendall doesn’t even remember how the fight started. She was annoyed that she had to remind Gia about doing the dishes yet again, and Gia got defensive, and then things just blew out of proportion, with the two of them yelling and a teary Synthia trying to calm them down.

Gia ran to the bedroom and Kendall retreated to their office, sitting and taking deep breaths before reaching for a pink photo album. Synthia had told her and Gia how much she loved making collages and crafting with photos when she was younger, and they had surprised her with a photo album for her birthday. Kendall had carefully arranged each picture while Gia added little details with glitter and construction paper, and Synthia loved it.

Kendall flips through the album now, her eyes stinging at the happiness in the photos. The three of them bundled up in hats and scarves when they went sledding, cheeks tinged pink from the cold. Gia posing in front of the tattoo shop on their first day, Kendall and Synthia each kissing one cheek. Waving flags around for the Pride parade last year--a bisexual one for Kendall, a non-binary one for Gia, an ace one for Synthia. All some of Kendall’s favorite memories, memories they all enjoyed so much that if gives Kendall hope they’ll get through this little argument, that their relationship won’t be ruined over something as stupid as dishes in the sink. She knows Gia just needs time to cool down, that things will be okay once they’re both calm and talk it out. But until that point she has to deal with the heaviness in her chest, the worry that Gia will hate her forever, happy memories or not.

There’s a knock on the door, and Kendall hopes.

“Come in,” she says softly, that hope swelling when the door swings open to reveal Gia.

“I’m sorry,” Gia says immediately, wringing their hands as they rush over to Kendall. “I shouldn’t have left the dishes like that, you had every right to be annoyed. And I’m sorry I yelled at you about it.”

“It’s okay.” Kendall grabs both their hands and squeezes gently. “I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have yelled either.”

Gia buries their face in Kendall’s chest. “I’m gonna try harder to do them, I promise. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Kendall holds Gia closer, dropping a kiss to the top of their head and just breathing them in, grateful that things are okay and Gia still wants to be in her arms.

Gia slowly eases out of the hug, looking up at Kendall sheepishly. “Let’s go find Synth. I want to apologize to her too, you know how much she hates yelling.”

Kendall nods, stinging with that last bit of regret that their yelling had also upset Synthia. “You’re right. Let’s go find her, and after we apologize, I think we should tackle her and cuddle her.”

Gia grins. “That’s a great idea.”

—

4.

“Here, Kenny,” Gia says softly. “Synthia put extra marshmallows for you.” They carefully hand Kendall the steaming mug of hot chocolate and give her a kiss on the forehead.

“Of course she did.” Kendall smiles and takes a sip. “Thank you.”

“Of course, baby.”

Kendall’s had a rough week at work, even if she downplays it and stays positive, focusing on the nice customers she’s helped rather than the angry ones who yell at her for no reason. It’s just how she is, always able to look on the bright side of things, and Gia and Synthia love that about her. But Gia also wanted to make sure they gave Kendall a little extra love this week, and Synthia had immediately agreed. So, with Kendall tucked into bed and Parks and Rec on the TV, they set to work.

Synthia brings her heart-shaped sticky notes and glitter gel pens, and they set to work writing down their love and sketching little animals that will make Kendall smile. They stick the notes all over–-on the bathroom mirror, on the side of Kendall’s water bottle, in the tote bag she takes to work. Kendall is half-asleep when they slide back into bed, smiling about their excitement for tomorrow.

Gia and Synthia force themselves out of bed when Kendall’s alarm goes off, instead of their usual routine of sleeping as long as they can without being late. But this time, they want to be up, and they lurk around the corner while Kendall brushes her teeth. When she comes out grinning, a glob of toothpaste still stuck to her lip, they know she saw the first note.

“I knew you two were up to something last night,” Kendall says as she comes over and hugs them. “I heard you running around like elephants and figured it was better not to ask.”

“That’s fair,” Gia says, holding Kendall tight.

“We just wanted to make sure you know we love you,” Synthia says.

Gia nods. “We love you so much, baby. Just remember that when customers act like assholes.”

Kendall squeezes both their hands. “I love you both too. Thank you for the note.”

“Oh no,” Gia says mischievously, “there are way more notes where that came from. You’ll be finding them all day. Maybe even all week.”

Kendall just smiles. “I can’t wait.”

—

5.

“Here, Synth, take these.”

“I don’t want to,” Synthia whines, pouting at the pills Kendall offers her. “I want to go on our picnic.”

Kendall strokes her hair. “Baby, you’re not gonna have much fun on a picnic if you’re sick.”

“I still want to go,” Synthia’s voice trails off as she takes the pills with a glass of water Gia hands her. “Stupid allergies,” she mumbles as she lays back down.

Spring has finally come after months of ice and snow, and as much as Synthia loves seeing the sun and the flowers poking up through the grass, her allergies don’t. She’s been sniffling most of the week, but figured she’d be fine for the picnic they had planned. But this morning she sneezed so much it woke up Kendall and Gia. She told them she was fine, and they might have believed her if she didn’t fall over while getting dressed because the room spun around her. After that, she was tucked back into bed and instructed not to move until the dizziness went away, her heart sinking over the picnic that surely wasn’t happening anymore.

“We’ll go on a picnic next week,” Kendall says, stroking her hair gently.

“Or we can have one right here.”

“Gia, what are you—”

Gia tosses the red plaid blanket they use for picnics over the bed, setting the picnic basket on top and pulling out sandwiches and fruit salad and cookies. They climb into bed next to Synthia and hand her a cup of tea. “Come on Kendall.” Gia points to the empty space in the bed. “This way we can have a picnic and Synth stays in bed.”

Kendall grins as she slides into bed too, and the three of them eat and talk as the sun streams through the window. It’s almost like they went on a real picnic, and Synthia burns warmer than the sun with love for Kendall and Gia, for them doing this for her.

“I love you,” she says around a yawn, and she hears them whispering it back to her as she drifts off to sleep.

—

+1

Synthia is nuzzled against her side, with Gia next to Synthia, an arm around her waist. Kendall smiles at the sight of them, and as much as she wants to stay here and cuddle, she wants to make them breakfast. Kendall isn’t a great cook, but she’s good at breakfast, and she wants to surprise them with pancakes in bed, see their smiles as they eat.

She tries to slip out of the bed as gently as possible so she doesn’t wake them up. She eases herself out inch by inch, gently lowering Synthia’s arm back down. Kendall’s almost out of the bed when Synthia grabs her wrist, holding on surprisingly tight for someone not fully awake. Gia reaches over and strokes Kendall’s side, not relenting until she gets fully back in the bed. Kendall turns on her side so she’s facing them both, reaching her arm over Synthia’s waist to rest on Gia’s hip, the three of them snuggling closer and all breathing as one as they settle again.

God, Kendall loves them; she loves them so much, and as she feels their warmth against her, she knows they love her too.

Getting a text from Gigi calling for a ‘special’ meeting during lunch made Pythia want to throw up. They had all finished their dresses and in Pythia’s case, her suit, so the reason for the meeting was incredibly clear in their mind; the girl had finally decided who her replacement was going to be.

They knew this was coming as prom was later in the evening and the number of days until summer grew smaller and smaller, but she did not feel prepared for the announcement in the slightest. They had tried their very best to impress Gigi the most, but deep down, she felt like Icesis had been handed the spot since the first day of their junior year.

The members all made their way into Mrs. Hytes’s classroom as the lunch bell rang, no one seemed to be nervous besides Pythia. She silently took a seat next to Kendall, who was busy chatting away with Gia about where they were going to go for dinner later.

Icesis was the last member of the club to roll in, making sure to sit down right next to Pythia. “We’re still going to be friends after I win, right?” She joked, making the blonde swat at her.

Even though it was a joke, she didn’t know the answer to the question and did not want to start thinking about it, “Shut up! I’m so nervous about this and I will not hesitate to puke in your hat.”

The black-haired girl took off the snapback she wore every day and put it on the opposite side of her so Pythia couldn’t reach it without draping herself across her lap. “Good luck vomiting in it now.”

Icesis had a massive case of hat hair, but Pythia thought she looked adorable. They wished everything would stop being so confusing so she could act on her new feelings about the girl. She wouldn’t know what to do with herself if she liked Icesis and resented her at the same time after she got the position.

Gigi wrapped up her unimportant conversation with the English teacher and made her way to the front of the white board to make her special announcement. “I’ll try to make this quick so I don’t take up the majority of your lunch.”

“Gia should really learn from you!” Kendall interrupted her, making everyone laugh. They had a habit of speaking in ten-page essays whenever Gigi asked them what inspired them to make certain looks.

“Thank you, Kendall. Anyway, this was a tough decision, but Mrs. Hytes pressured me to announce it now instead of waiting until after we’re all the best dressed at the prom like I wanted.” Gigi had still not let go of the fact that the prom theme was questionable at best, something that all of the members had gotten used to.

“This club is like my baby, since I’ve been running it for two years. I have so much fun thinking of concepts to have you guys create and love seeing what you guys come up with, and I had to make sure that the most creative person gets the reins next year.” Hearing Gigi say that made Pythia grin. They would call herself the most creative out of the bunch, coming up with out of the box ideas whenever they could.

“But, if I’m being quite honest,” Gigi continued, “the choice was quite obvious to me, but I didn’t know if Mrs. Hytes would go for it, but I am so persuasive so you’re very welcome. Your new leaders for next year are… Icesis and Pythia!”

Everyone in the room lost their minds, doing the most by cheering and clapping for their new leaders. Pythia turned to look at Icesis, who was just as stunned as they were. Icesis reached out to squeeze their hand, sending a shock through her entire body.

Icesis screamed, “Wow, we did it!”

Pythia couldn’t believe it. They both got the position? Kendall and Gia had gotten out of their seats, making sure to hug both of the new leaders.

“I can’t believe this!” She shouted, the high of the news hitting them as they pulled away from Gia. “We’re going to be the design club leaders!”

“You deserve this so bad. You really do,” Icesis said, grabbing and pulling Pythia into the tightest hug possible. “I’m glad I get to share this title with you.”

Gay thoughts interrupted Pythia’s celebration. Now that they were pressed up against each other, they got to inhale Icesis’s scent, and she smelled like lavender, and she wanted to bury her face into her chest for the rest of the lunch period.

“I’m glad I get to share this title with you!” They squealed as Icesis pulled away from their hug, “We’re going to have the best ideas.”

“We are going to do fantastic things, Pythia. I really can’t wait.”

----

Pythia wouldn’t have gone to prom if she hadn’t made the suit for the project. She didn’t like large crowds for the most part and none of her friends outside of the design club were going, but they were so proud of their creation, they just had to wear it to prom.

As they were getting ready at their desk, they had a wonderful idea. Earlier in the week, Icesis had mentioned to Gia that she didn’t have a date, thank God, so why not find her as a slow song played and ask her to dance?

All of the negative feelings towards Icesis were gone now that they had both secured the position. While she’s sure she would’ve still felt her newer thoughts about Icesis, they would’ve still felt some form of resentment towards the girl if she was the only one Gigi chose. Thank fuck that wasn’t the case.

With all of that out of the way, it was finally time to make a move since Icesis hadn’t done anything that wasn’t platonic.

It was crowded when Pythia arrived at the gym. Right away, they could tell that not a lot of people knew what to do with the goddamn prom theme, no one coordinated with each other, but they still thought that every single person in the cramped room looked fantastic.

They made a beeline straight to the punch bowl, getting a cup of the fruity drink before walking around to see if she could find anyone she knew. The majority of the design club said they would be there, but she had yet to spot any of them.

Walking around, they started to spot everyone. Gigi and Crystal were at the photo booth, taking a silly photo. The girl loved getting her photo taken, so this didn’t surprise Pythia in the slightest. Kendall, Gia and their friend Synthia were huddled in the corner, whispering harshly about something that must’ve happened. Synthia was in tears while Gia rubbed her back to try to calm her down, while Kendall was about to go cuss someone out. Adriana was in the middle of the crowd with her boyfriend, dancing to the song that was playing. It was an overplayed pop song that had been popular on TikTok, but she could tell that Adriana clearly enjoyed it.

Pythia still hadn’t spotted Icesis, which was starting to make them worry. What if Icesis didn’t come because she didn’t have a date? She turned around, debating on interrupting whatever was going on with Gia, Kendall and Synthia to ask if any of them had seen the girl with black hair when they felt a gentle tap on their shoulder.

“Hey! You look great!” It was Icesis. She looked the prettiest Pythia had ever seen her in her red dress. They hoped that she couldn’t tell that their breath was being taken away.

“Hi! You look great too, wow.”

“How’s your punch?”

They looked down, having completely forgotten that she was even holding the red solo cup, “Pretty good. I might have to go back and get more before the bowl is empty.”

“Maybe I’ll have to try it.” Icesis trailed off, and Pythia could tell that she was probably going to wander off, which they did not want.

Not tonight.

“Wait, before you do that… do you… maybe want to dance?” Pythia asked, hands starting to shake.

“I would love that, Pythia.”

Before they knew it, the red solo cup was long gone, and they were very close to Icesis. Their arms were wrapped around the girl’s neck as they rocked back and forth to the slower song that was playing. It felt natural, like her hands were supposed to be there.

“I know I already said this, but you look absolutely gorgeous tonight. I’m literally at a loss for words.” Pythia whispered to fill the silence, grinning like mad at Icesis.

“Thank you! I can never tell if someone is flirting with me or just being friendly. But I’m going to assume that under all of that rage I saw, you’re actually nice.” Icesis replied, starting to laugh nervously.

Could Icesis really not tell what Pythia’s motives were? They were dancing together at prom, after all.

At that moment, Pythia decided to be bolder than they had been the past few weeks, “Maybe we should kiss until you figure it out?” She suggested, giggling as Icesis’s face dropped and her cheeks heated up.

“What? Are… are you fucking with me right now?”

“Why would I do that?” Pythia sincerely asked her. She had never seen bold and confident Icesis so flustered before. “Maybe I want to kiss you. Don’t you want to kiss me?”

“You little shit, of course I wanna kiss you. Been dreaming about it for ages now.”

“Well, now's your chance, silly.”

Icesis leaned in, kissing them for the first time. She was an excellent kisser; way better than all of the boys Pythia had kissed in the past. Her lips were so soft and they didn’t want to pull away.

The song they had been dancing to came to an end, causing Icesis to pull away. Both of their faces were red, both of them grinning. “Not to be dramatic, but I felt like, fucking fireworks.” Icesis confessed.

“Oh, really?” Pythia asked, grinning ear to ear. They didn’t know they wanted this until recently, but now that she had it, she didn’t want this night to end.

Asking the cute girl from her art class, “Do you want to hang out over winter break?” was the bravest thing Icesis had ever done in her fifteen years of being alive, she thought.

She wasn’t one to get nervous easily, but being sat at the same table as a vibrant and bubbly redhead named Pythia brought out the nervousness in Icesis. She was talented, creative and just pleasant to be around; more pleasant than hearing Kendall and Gia gossip about the other girls in their geography class.

Their first project in class was to draw a portrait of someone at the tables they were all seated at. Kendall and Gia quickly declared themselves partners, why wouldn’t they when they had spent the entirety of their middle school years attached at the hip? That left Icesis to be paired up with this girl she had never seen before, and she found herself stuttering and messing up her sentences while introducing herself to her partner.

It got better as the months passed, but Icesis could never act ‘normal’ in front of Pythia. Kendall and Gia obviously caught on, teasing her about it (luckily) whenever the ginger wasn’t around.

“Have you asked her out yet?” Gia asked one day when the other girl wasn’t there, making Icesis nearly fall out of her chair.

“Ask who out?”

“Don’t play dumb, Icesis. We have less than a week left of this class, who knows if you’ll see Pythia again.” Kendall spoke up, “you should ask her to hang out over winter break!”

Icesis rolled her eyes, like she really needed advice from someone like Kendall and Gia, who had yet to confess their own feelings for each other. She could barely speak around the girl no matter how hard she tried and how focused she was on not fucking up, and she would probably die of embarrassment if Pythia declined her offer.

“I’ll think about it.” She concluded, and thought about it, she did. They did have a point, Pythia had mentioned signing up for a bizarre elective for the next semester that Icesis wouldn’t dream about taking, meaning that she would be the one who got away if the stubborn girl didn’t make a move.

-

Icesis gave herself a pep talk on her way to art class the next day, trying to hype herself up so she wouldn’t chicken out the second she looked into Pythia’s beautiful eyes.

“Hey! What did I miss yesterday? I’ve been sick,” Pythia greeted Icesis as she sat down at their table.

“Nothing much, we just colored and watched a movie. I think our teacher ran out of things for us to do, if I’m being honest.”

“I’m not complaining, I love coloring.” She giggled while Icesis tried to think of something to say to segue to asking Pythia to hang out on their two week break, but nothing was coming to mind.

Fuck, why was asking out a girl so difficult?

“Are you excited for winter break? I can’t wait to just lay around with my cats for days on end,” She started babbling. Pythia loved to talk, which was not something Icesis minded one bit. Listening to her voice was quickly moving up on the list of the top ten of her favorite things.

But holy fuck, here was her chance.

“Yeah, I am. I was actually going to ask you about that. Do you maybe want to hang out with me over winter break? We can go to McDonalds.” Icesis was fifteen and broke, while she thought Pythia deserved a feast, fast food for two was the most she would be able to afford.

Pythia’s dark eyes widened at this, face heating up as well, “I would love to! I actually bought you a gift for you over the weekend, I could give it to you then too?”

Icesis swore that she was floating. Pythia said yes and had gotten her a gift? She swiftly pinched her arm under the table, but she was wide awake.

Flash forward to winter break, Icesis was standing outside of the McDonald’s closest to Pythia’s house, waiting for the ginger to arrive. It was quite cold, considering the harsh winds and the decision she made to wear a lighter jacket simply because it looked cooler than her winter coat.

She finally spotted Pythia crossing the street, feeling giddy as the girl she had been enamored with since the beginning of her freshman year came closer and closer. Icesis really was brave for asking her out, despite the fact they had yet to discuss if this was a friend hangout or an actual date.

“God, it’s cold. I would’ve told my parents not to move here if I knew this.”

“Hey, don’t say that. If you didn’t move here over the summer I would’ve had a lame partner in art class.” Icesis laughed, opening the door for her crush and following them inside.

“I guess I did luck out, getting paired up with the prettiest girl in the room.” Pythia smirked, catching the girl with black hair completely off guard,

“W-well, are you su-sure you weren’t the prettiest person in that room? Like, I know Gia is convinced that it’s them, but I actually think it’s you?” She managed to get out, watching Pythia’s face, hoping for a good reaction.

Pythia blushed, reaching up to lightly punch Icesis in the shoulder. “What? I’m right.”

Pythia chuckled, “Yeah, whatever you say. I’m starving.”

They ordered, Pythia ordering a quarter pounder with no pickles, and Icesis getting twenty piece chicken nuggets. There was no way she could eat them all, being nervous about hanging out with Pythia, but she was thinking they could share them.

The two slid in the booth Pythia wanted to sit in, both smiling nervously. They made small talk as they waited for their order to be done, both of them not sure what to talk about.

When their order number was called out across the restaurant, Icesis offered to go get it, telling the worker thank you before heading back, trying to think of cool things to talk about with Pythia.

They dug in right away, Pythia making a sour face as they bit into their burger.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, watching Pythia take her burger apart.

“They added pickles.” She whined, disappointed about the workers getting her order wrong on accident.

Icesis stood up, “I’ll go talk to them.”

“No, it’s fine, I can just take them off.” She protested to ears that were not listening to her.

“Lalalala, can’t hear you!” She teased, going back to the counter and explaining the situation to the worker. They apologized and Icesis came back to their booth with a brand new quarter pounder that did not have any pickles on it.

“You’re really sweet for doing that, you know.” Pythia said after biting into her burger, “I’m always too scared to do that.”

“I want you to get what you want. It would be a really sucky date if you didn’t get it fixed,” Icesis shrugged.

“Who cares about the fucking burger? I’m here with you.” She pointed out, stealing a nugget from the box, “I’m over the moon just because I’m spending time with you.”

Having actual confirmation that Pythia felt similar to her made Icesis’s heart melt. “I’m so happy you feel that way. I’ve been crushing on you since the first day.” She shyly admitted.

“Me too!”

“No way.”

They continued eating their ‘feast’, switching from talking about school to flirting with each other. Pythia finished off the last nugget, digging a small bag out of her purse and placing it on the table. “I almost forgot about your present.”

“I didn’t get you anything, though. I feel bad!” She insisted, not knowing to expect from this.

Pythia scoffed, “Did you not pay for our lunch? Open it!”

“Okaaaay.” She dragged out, opening up the bag to reveal a blue crystal necklace. It was absolutely stunning, not something Icesis would usually wear, but for Pythia she would make sure the necklace was in her rotation. “It’s beautiful, thank you so much!”

“It’s kyanite! It just reminds me of you, since you wear a lot of blue. I just had to pick it up when I saw it at the crystal shop. I didn’t know if it was too forward, though.” “I don’t think so. Would you have given me this if I didn’t ask you out?”

Pythia blushed again. Icesis thought she looked adorable with rosy cheeks, “I would’ve gotten to it eventually!”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah!” She was starting to get flustered now, making Icesis want to reach over the booth and just kiss her already.

---

If there’s one thing Synthia prides herself on, it’s gift-giving. There’s an art to it all, to finding just the perfect thing someone will love, something that will surprise them and make them feel special when they open it. There’s even an art in how she roams the store, eyes open to everything so she’s ready when the perfect thing takes her by surprise. She loves it, and she’s undeniably good at it, if the wide-eyed, open-mouthed reactions her gifts get are any indication.

She’s maybe a little too good at it, because everyone she knows has asked her to go shopping with them to help them get presents for their friends and family. All of December, she’s been up and down the mall and hit every store in the city, braving the cold and the snow and screaming kids waiting for sketchy mall Santas, all to help her friends find the perfect gift for everyone on their lists. She’s at the mall more than the employees at this point.

The only problem is that she’s been so busy helping other people shop that she hasn’t been able to find the perfect gift for Kendall yet. Synthia prefers shopping in person, so she can physically see everything, but every second of shopping has been devoted to helping her friends. She’s searched online too when she’s had time, just as backup, but she still hasn’t found the perfect thing. She doesn’t want to give Kendall just anything; it needs to be something really special, something that will stun Kendall when she opens it, and she needs to hurry, because if she waits much longer even priority shipping won’t be enough to get it here in time.

But she still has ten days. That’s enough time.

Right?

—

“Do you think the green one is good?” Brooke asks.

“Your mom hates green,” Synthia says, not even looking away from the rows of purses.

“How do you know that and I don’t?”

Synthia just shrugs. She’s in her zone now, after an unsuccessful hour of helping her friend Brooke pick out presents, and she glides over to another shelf. “Get her this one. It has roses on it, you said she wants to plant roses in the spring.” She hands Brooke a navy purse covered in pink roses, and Brooke grins.

“That’s perfect. Thanks, Synthia.”

“Of course.” She glances around at the clothes across the store, thinking maybe she’ll find something for Kendall there--

“Okay, now we need to find stuff for all my nieces and nephews.”

“Don’t you have, like, eight of them?”

“Ten, actually.”

Synthia just sighs and follows her to the toy section.

---

“Do you think my nephew would like one of those little cars you get in and pretend to drive?” Gia asks.

“I think--Gia, get out of that car before you kill someone!”

---

Six days to go, and it’s looking like online orders are out of the question. Synthia had been up until two the night before, scouring the internet, only to have the bracelet she planned to buy Kendall sell out before she could get it, with restocks taking an estimated six weeks. In-person shopping isn’t going much better; stores are selling out of basically everything, which has only made nights helping people shop even longer, while the time and options for finding Kendall something continue to shrink.

She stumbles in the door that night after a full day of work, plus hours of helping her friend Priyanka pick out gifts. Her back aches from when Priyanka slipped on the ice and dragged them both down in a heap, and she swears there’s a bruise on her arm from an old woman whacking her with a Barbie car in an attempt to steal the Squishmallow unicorn she found for Priyanka’s niece. She should go back out and find something for Kendall, try to find a store open this late, but the rich smell of chocolate distracts her. Kendall is at the counter, pouring hot chocolate into two mugs, a plate of cookies in front of her.

“You made cookies?”

“I thought it would be nice. You’ve been so exhausted lately,” Kendall says softly.

Synthia collapses into her. She has been exhausted lately, and amidst all the exhaustion, a new guilt creeps in. Because not only has all the shopping been stressing her out, but it’s also been taking her away from Kendall, cutting into time that could be spent watching movies and making cookies, all their little holiday traditions. She only has two more friends to help, and then she vows to spend the rest of the time with Kendall.

“Thank you,” Synthia says. “I’m sorry I’ve been so busy with everything.”

“I think it’s sweet how you’re helping everyone. You’re like one of Santa’s elves,” Kendall teases. “I’m gonna get you an elf hat.”

“Try it and I’ll put a snowball on your pillow,” Synthia says lightly.

Kendall just grins. “Let’s go watch a movie and relax, okay?”

Synthia follows without protest, curling up and resting her head in Kendall’s lap as she starts Home Alone, and she’s asleep before the McCallisters even reach the airport.

—-

“...and last year my sister said she liked what I got her but I don’t think she did, and my other sister is gonna try to have the best gifts for everyone so we need to outdo her, and my other sister just had a baby so we need to hit that department next…”

Eve pauses to inhale, and Synthia massages her aching temples.

---

“I like this one, and this one, and--ooh--this one.”

“Suki, are any of these things for people on your list, or are they for you?” Synthia asks.

“Well I have to treat myself first, you know!”

---

The days leading up to Christmas fly by in a whirlwind of baking and ice-skating with Kendall and even more hours trudging through the mall to help her friends that wait for the last minute to do shopping. Not that Synthia has done much better this year—she ordered Kendall some things as a last resort, but none of them will arrive in time, which wouldn’t be a problem if she could find something to give her. But she can hardly find anything in stores, let alone the perfect gift, the one special thing that just screams Kendall, that will touch her when she opens it.

It’s Christmas Eve morning, and Synthia thinks that maybe, just maybe, she’ll be able to find something special in one of those downtown boutiques, even though every store she’s visited this month has been hit by a tornado of shoppers taking everything before she got there. Maybe some Christmas magic will happen. She wakes up slowly, wondering why there’s no arm around her waist, no body pressed against her back. She walks into the kitchen to see Kendall flipping pancakes, spinning around in her fluffy red bathrobe that she loves to wear when it’s cold like this, frost reaching across the windows.

“Morning, baby,” Kendall says.

“Morning.”

“I figured I’d let you sleep in and make you breakfast.”

“Thank you.” Synthia nuzzles against her at the stove, resting her head on Kendall’s shoulder. It’s so warm and cozy in here, so windy and freezing outside, and Synthia really, really doesn’t want to go out in this weather and do more shopping. She wants nothing more than to eat breakfast with Kendall and spend the day on the couch in their pajamas until tonight's Christmas party.

And that’s exactly what she does, her guilt over not having a gift fading for the day.

---

The guilt comes back in full force once the party starts. Her friends rush up to her and say how excited they are to give everyone their gifts, how she saved Christmas for them, and though she’s happy, there’s a twinge of bitterness. How could she let herself get so wrapped up in things and help so many people that she didn’t even get Kendall a present, when Synthia loves her more than anyone? What will she tell Kendall tomorrow when there’s nothing for her to open? Deep down she knows Kendall won’t care, won’t be mad, but her own anger and disappointment twist painfully inside her. The party becomes nothing but noise around her, her friends just tiny blurs in her vision.

“Everything okay? You’ve been quiet.” There’s Kendall, caring about her as always, and it’s hard not to feel like she doesn’t deserve it. Not when she couldn’t even get her a present.

“Just a headache,” she lies.

“Do you want to go home?”

“Please,” Synthia whispers, holding in a tear.

---

When they get back from the party, Synthia notices a box on the counter, wrapped in green paper with a shiny red bow on top. She and Kendall always give each other one present on Christmas Eve night, but Synthia doesn’t have one for this year. The box is just a reminder of her failure, and it hits hard enough for Synthia’s eyes to sting with tears she can’t hold back anymore.

“Baby, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Kendall is so worried, so loving, and it only makes Synthia feel worse. “Do you feel sick?” Kendall’s hand presses against her cheek to check for a fever, and Synthia lowers her head in shame.

“I didn’t—I didn’t get a gift for you,” Synthia says, unable to meet Kendall’s eyes. “I was so busy helping everyone I could never look for your present, and everything is sold out, and I ordered you some things but they didn’t get here in time, and I couldn’t find anything perfect for you anyway and I’m so sorry—“

She’s cut off by warm arms wrapping her in a hug as Kendall gently shushes her. “Shh, it’s okay. You could never buy me anything, and it wouldn’t matter. You know why?”

Synthia sniffles. “Why?”

Kendall steps back, looking at Synthia with nothing but love. “Because you’re my gift. I love you, and I know you love me too. That’s the best present I could ask for.” She tears the bow off her box and sticks it to Synthia’s hair. “There. The only gift I need.”

“You’re not mad?” Synthia asks, wiping her eyes.

“Of course I’m not mad. I know how hard you must’ve tried to get me something and how much you’ve helped everyone else.” Kendall gently wipes Synthia’s last few tears with her thumb. “But I will be mad if you don’t come watch a movie with me right now,” she says, scooping Synthia up into her arms.