There wasn’t much out here. At least, not at this time of night, nor time of year.

Adorabat sat on a concrete bench, still damp from the snow she had hastily brushed off. On the small hill, she could see the shining lights of the Pure Heart Valley, decorations lining every house and street, vibrant greens, blues, purples, reds, and every color imaginable contained in that string of fluorescent bulbs.

Yet, the town was sleeping. Not a soul walked down the cobblestone, nor any windows opened with inviting homely warmth. Of course, it was all for a good reason. ‘Twas Christmas Eve and all sweetypies in the valley laid their heads to rest, waiting to open their gifts under the trees.

Well, save for Adorabat. She huffed and gathered a bit of snow that still covered the bench. It wasn’t like there wasn’t a home or family Adorabat could go to for Christmas Eve. There were presents under her tree for her to unwrap once the sun rose, melting the snow as carpets and floors became the new graveyard for wrapping paper. Something had called her out, though, and as soon as she felt Mao Mao was convinced she had fallen asleep, she snuck out to find what that was.

So far, Adorabat’s search had been fruitless. It led her through the town, weaving through the lights and buildings until she reached the bench. So here she sat, waiting with an unamused expression. Her intuition might have meant nothing. Flukes occasionally happen, to the best heroes, too. 

Adorabat heard steps behind her. In one swift movement, the bat took flight and tackled the being behind her, slamming into the ground with a hard thud.

“I don’t know who you think you are, trying to sneak up on someone,” she began, “but I’ll have you-”

Adorabat paused as the snow cloud she had kicked up began to settle. Under her wing, she felt something cold and metallic. Confused, Adorabat looked from her wing to the face of the person she was pinning. A moment passed as Adorabat processed the face before she jumped back suddenly in shock and embarrassment. “Oh, God!” she exclaimed, “MetaDrako, I’m so sorry!”

Slowly, the green dragon rose from the ground in a daze, taking a minute to shake his head. “Uh, no worries,” he chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. “I think it was more my fault for walking from behind.”

After the initial embarrassment was gone, Adorabat stopped and pondered for a second. “Wait,” she began, narrowing her eyes slightly, “why exactly are you here? It’s really late, and this is a strange place to be.”

“Well,” MetaDrako took a few steps toward the bench, “I…don’t actually know. Just had a feeling. What about you?” he asked as he sat down.

Adorabat stared at his back as she thought about the coincidence. “Just wanted, uh, some fresh air,” she lied under her breath as she moved towards the bench.

MetaDrako stared out to the valley for a bit, turning towards Adorabat as she took a seat beside him. Adorabat blinked as she processed something and moved to see his back again, having to do a double-take.

“What’s in the bag?” she asked as she leaned forward.

MetaDrako wore confusion on his visage for a moment before horror set in, and he jumped up frantically. “Shoot!” he shouted as he quickly pulled the bag from his back and peered in. As he looked in, he let out a sigh of relief and slouched. “It’s still fine.”

“What, did you do something that would have not made it fine?”

“Well, I was kinda just tackled to the ground, y’know.”

Adorabat’s face turned red. “It was an accident, okay?!” she huffed.

MetaDrako patted her on the shoulder. “It’s just a joke, don’t worry,” he laughed. “As for what’s in the bag, it’s just, uh,” the dragon pulled out a small box decorated with a ribbon tied in a bow, “a small gift.”

Adorabat stared at the gift for a second. “Wait, as in, like, for me?” she asked incredulously.

“Yeah?” MetaDrako laughed. “I don’t know why else I’d bring it up.”

Adorabat slowly took the box from his claws, looking at it in slight shock and wonder. “How did you even know to bring this up, or where I would even be?”

“You’re asking a lot of hard questions,” he grinned nervously. “It sounds stupid, but, I just…there was a feeling there.”

Adorabat stared again at the gift. She didn’t know what to make of this entire situation. Everything felt like a coincidence, but too many in a row said otherwise.

“You don’t have to open it right now,” the dragon waved his hand. “I don’t even know if I’d want you to right here,” he said as he turned away. Adorabat could have sworn he turned to hide a blush.

“In any case,” MetaDrako rose from the bench and looked out to the valley. “We, uh, really shouldn’t be out here so late.”

“Oh!” Adorabat looked up to the moon. It was already past the midway point in its path across the night sky. “Yeah, you’re right,” Adorabat looked down to the present in her hand.

They shared a silence. Adorabat felt words building in her throat, but they wouldn’t seem to come out. She didn’t know if they were appropriate for the situation, so they simply looked to the glimmering lights below together.

“I’ll, uh, see you later, Adorabat,” MetaDrako turned and began walking away.

“Wait!”

The dragon looked at Adorabat as she reached out. For a moment, Adorabat didn’t speak. Clearing her throat, she asked, “Can you walk me to my house?”

MetaDrako stopped and stared blankly. With a blink, he replied, “Y-Yeah…”

Adorabat got up from the bench and walked forward, carrying the gift in her wings and nodding. They made their way back down the path, the snow imprinted with their footprints alone.

She knew he wouldn’t be able to get too close to the dojo. If Mao Mao found out he had even been near during nighttime, he would throw a fit. Maybe, though, she could convince him to stay a minute for her to sneak in and come back out.