animorphslj | Gift Exchange: "The Things That Keep You Warm, Keep You Going" (Reply)

Title: The Things That Keep You Warm, Keep You Going
By:

susako
For:

caitieness
Medium: Fic
Rating/Warnings: G, no warnings apply.
Summary: Tobias wants to get Rachel something special for Christmas, but he's going to need help from the rest of the Animorphs.
Creator’s notes: I used the prompt ‘weather’ and it bloomed into something from there. Incorporates most of your likes, I think! It’s a little long (+6000 words) but I hope you enjoy it. Happy holidays!

Read on AO3

The weather is changing as the seasons continue to cycle round. The transition is gradual, with the temperature varying and dropping by slight degrees. Soon enough, the days will be shortening and the nights will be lengthening. You can’t tell that though in the brightly-lit, carefully-managed atmosphere of the mall.

“It’s Fall. You know what that means,” Rachel is saying. They’re wandering around together, every now and then holding hands and more often than not stopping to look at the displays.

Tobias knows that it means prey will attempt to be faster and smarter about their own reserves. He knows that it means colder nights in his meadow, crisper mornings and more often than not some idiot animal finding itself outside at unfortunate moments and that little bit slower because of the chill. But for her sake, he asks what she means, because he knows that today is a Saturday and it is her time to be normal, to play the teenager at the mall on a weekend with her… boyfriend.

“It means Fall and Winter fashion, of course.” Rachel pauses in front of a store with mannequins dressed in long coats and adorned with warm scarves in muted shades of brown like the forest floor. He sees the blank plastic faces that allow people to imagine themselves wearing those clothes, he sees that look in Rachel’s eye and he stands obediently next to her while she considers what is on display. Tobias looks around – human eyes are so dull – and he sees the price tags, knows vaguely what the numbers mean. Sometimes he has days where he forgets about things like money. This is one of those days. Still, he knows that the hat, scarf and gloves set that Rachel is dreamily admiring is expensive and probably far out of the realms of what ordinary people would pay. He knows that because she has spoken about this store before. He knows also because he sees the kind of people walking in and out and they’re so vastly different to him that it almost stings.

But he also knows that Rachel wants it, all of it, even as she sees his neutral expression, interprets it as disinterest and starts to lead him away, talking about visiting the food court for the last forty-five minutes or so they have left before she has to go home and he has to demorph and fly away. When she slips her hand in his again, he notices that she’s a little cold. He thinks of her slender fingers in those cozy gloves. He pictures her graceful neck adorned with folds of warm, knitted yarn. He can see the woolly hat crowning her head of blond hair. He can imagine all of those layers keeping her warm when he can’t.

Tobias makes a decision as he notices that even this early, some stores are starting to craft displays of green pines, colorful tinsel and snow, all adorned with twinkling lights.

The problem is money. Where do you get money?

The normal way would be through some kind of part-time job. Maybe doing some chores for your parents. But Tobias isn’t exactly normal and he doesn’t have parents, not really. The only other job he can think of is freedom fighter against the Yeerks, but that doesn’t exactly pay well, or at all. He humorlessly toys with the idea of being a messenger bird but beyond the obvious reasons, that's no good either. No one pays the birds after all. No one even notices them, he thinks as he hovers above the city, watching the pigeons swarm around in the hope of finding food in the scattered trash of a parking lot.

Ax might know something. How does he get all the cash for those bits and pieces he’s been tinkering with nowadays?

“Marco gave me some money for purchases. Pur-chases. Puuurrr-chisssss. Iss.” Ax is walking in human morph while Tobias watches the group of hikers two-hundred meters to the south-west. The hikers eventually wander away from where Ax is and Tobias circles back around lazily once everything is clear. Ax looks almost relieved as he carefully sheds the majority of his human clothing, stowing it away in the bag filled with electronic parts. He shivers a little in his skintight clothes and bare feet before he demorphs to his regular Andalite form, Tobias politely sitting on a tree branch waiting until Ax finally shakes his bladed tail out and scoops up the bag with a six-fingered hand. When Ax sets off at a sprint, his legs gracefully carrying him at speed through the woods, Tobias flaps along, enjoying narrowly dodging tree trunks before he tires of the game and climbs up higher again, where his path is clear.

<Why do you wish to know?> Ax asks, his thought-speak unhindered by his running speed. Below, he is a whirling blue blur amidst green and brown.

<Let’s just say I want to make some purchases of my own.>

<Perhaps Marco will be willing to give you some money also.>

<Somehow, I don’t think he would if he knew what it was for.> Tobias feels rather than sees Ax’s stalk eyes swivel upwards in curiosity so he decides to avoid any further questioning by asking some more of his own. <So what are the parts for, Ax-man?>

<Some minor repairs.> They reach the scoop and Ax canters delicately over to deposit his bag of loot. Tobias flutters down and watches him remove components and spread them out before him on a small table in the corner. He crouches down and pulls out what looks like some kind of game controller and a set of small screwdrivers. If Tobias could frown, he would as he watches Ax start to take it apart. <Marco said that this device is broken. The mechanism does not work as he wishes.>

<It doesn’t?>

<Prince Jake commented that Marco’s skills were not very sharp when they were playing video games the other night and Marco protested that it was his device. I said I could repair it if necessary and in fact make it work better than before. It can be adjusted so that instead of sending out a singular pulse per button-press it sends out more than twenty on demand.> Ax always seemed the most cheerful whenever he was playing around with something primitive or easy and making it better. <Marco seemed most pleased about this potential repair and offered to buy me the parts and a batch of cinnamon buns if I could carry out the work and not tell Prince Jake.>

<Hmm, I bet he did.>

At Tobias’s tone, Ax turns to fix both main and stalk eyes on his friend. <I’m sure if you wished, Marco would be willing to give you some money for a similar exchange.>

<I’m… not sure I can offer him the same thing.>

Ax’s eyes return to his work and he continues in silence for a little while longer before he finally clicks the controller back together. His eyes smile with satisfaction. <There. It is done.>

<But you didn’t use all of the parts.>

Ax’s hoof twists guiltily on the floor. He sets the controller to one side and bends down to pull out another device that Tobias can't even begin to understand. His stalk eyes droop a little cautiously. <You will not tell Marco?>

Tobias turns his head in a human gesture that says no. <Of course not.>

Tobias is perched on the top of a convenience store, watching people come and go. His eyes are sharp and doesn’t miss the guy who shoves bills carelessly into his pocket and barely notices one slipping loose and fluttering to the floor.

It’s just like catching prey except Tobias’s talons scrape the asphalt as he snatches up the bill. He is lucky today. Yesterday, there was nothing.

But it’s not enough.

Tobias sits in a tree opposite Jake's house. He can see Jake's parents in the kitchen - Jake's dad gives his wife a kiss on the cheek as she sets some items from the fridge on the counter. Upstairs, he can see Tom's outline as he gathers his things - there's a Sharing meeting tonight. In Jake's room he can see Jake and Marco keeping up normal appearances by playing video games when they should be working on their school project. Tobias can see Jake throw up his hands in frustration as Marco wins another round of whatever game it is they're playing.

Tobias looks up to the sky. He had lost track of the time, it will be dark sooner than he thinks and it's getting cold. When Tom leaves, he flutters to Jake's window and pecks lightly. Jake lets him in without hesitation.

"Hey, Tobias." Jake gives him a welcoming smile. "What's up?"

<Nothing. Just thought I'd come and hang out.>

"Oh, came to see Jake's ass get kicked?" Marco's grin is as mischievous as ever.

Jake rolls his eyes. "I'm going to grab some more soda. Can I get you a drink, Tobias? A dish of water or something?"

Tobias thinks briefly and his thoughts go to Rachel as he makes a choice. <I'll have some soda, please.> Last time he kissed Rachel goodbye, he had tasted the soda she had been drinking.

"Sure." Jake nods and leaves the room.

When he's gone, Marco stretches out casually, looking rather pleased at the results on the television which show that he has a significantly higher score. "Look at that, Tobias. Perfection. A brilliant round. I. Was. On. Fire, you should have seen it. Jake didn’t stand a chance."

Tobias cuts to the chase. 

Marco stops stretching and frowns, scrutinizing Tobias. He fails, as hawks have excellent poker faces. Always quick to make connections, he huffs with faint amusement. "What will it take to get you to keep quiet?"

<Money.>

"Dude, you're actually blackmailing me?"

Tobias hops to one side awkwardly.

"At least get some real leverage." Marco laughs and slouches again comfortably, his hands behind his head. "What do I care if Jake finds out? It's just a video game."

<He won't take kindly to finding out you were using Ax.>

"Probably not but he'll get over it if I say it won't ever happen again. Which it probably won't; I don’t want to take responsibility for what happens when Ax eats a dozen cinnamon buns in one go. What do you need money for anyway? They starting to charge you rent to stay in that meadow?"

Tobias wills himself to stay still and to fix Marco with a stare instead of turning his head to preen, his natural instinct.

“Oh, dates with the Warrior Princess starting to get expensive? Honestly, Tobias, just take her somewhere she can beat stuff up for a while and she’ll be happy. Rachel isn’t the type to like exclusive French cuisine served by some haughty waiter.”

What would Marco know about what Rachel likes, anyway? Tobias flaps briefly from the window ledge to perch on the bed’s headboard. He tries his best not to catch Jake’s posters with his wings or to dig his talons too deeply into the wood. <It’s not for that. I want to get her something… for Christmas.>

“It’s still early. I know stores and stuff are starting to push their Christmas stuff out there, but you don’t need to—”



“Blackmailing me isn’t the way to get it. I’m not exactly a high roller. Although I will give you five bucks just for trying.”

<Do you have any other ideas?> Tobias feels a little deflated as he adds five to his existing total and finds that of course it’s still short. He didn’t think through his plan properly - in all honesty he hadn’t really had a plan. It is now that he allows himself to preen. Doing so makes him feel better, at least a little.

“Why don’t you just ask people?”

<No, I> How to explain that he has to have earned it somehow? He can’t just get handouts and hope that the gift will still have the same significance.

“Fine. Let me think about it.” They can both hear Jake coming up the stairs with their drinks. “I’ll let you know.”

Tobias stays there for a little while, morphing to human for long enough to enjoy the soda that Jake brings. It’s sugary and bubbly and makes him burp loudly much to Marco’s amusement, but it doesn’t taste as sweet as if it were a trace underneath the taste of Rachel’s mouth.

 Marco is in a good mood as they sit in trees some distance away from each other. <Spiderman? He hasn't got a thing on us. Batman? Pfft, he's never actually been a bat. Faker.>

Tobias is smiling inwardly. <You're saying we should be superheroes.>

<Totally. Can you imagine how cool it would be? Everyone would love us. The worst thing about this stupid job is the secrecy. Nobody knows what badasses we are. And they should.> It’s a tired argument, but one of Marco’s favorites. <The chicks, Tobias. We could have so many chicks. Well, I could have all the chicks, you can keep Rachel. Television interviews, too, maybe our own shows. Merchandise contracts, you name it.>

Tobias knows that underneath the bravado, Marco is thinking of a comfortable lifestyle, one where he and his father don’t have any money worries but of course he doesn’t address it. <Whatever you say, man. Brings a new meaning to the name Hawkeye at least.>

<Now that’s what I’m talking about.> Marco shifts his osprey head to look in a certain direction. <Wait. There he is.>

The target is a few blocks away but Tobias can see him clearly. He’s a stocky teenage boy, maybe a little older than them, swaggering as he walks. His confident grin has the sharp tilt of a smirk to it as he counts the stack of bills he has pulled from his pocket.

<Lunch money takings,> Marco explains. <This guy Jenkins likes to beat up little dweebs and steal their stuff.> He looks at Tobias and in those razor-sharp bird eyes there is still his particular brand of mischief. Tobias can see it clearly, even at this distance. <You want money? I say you take it from him.>

<Shouldn’t we return that money to the kids he stole it from?>

<Don’t worry about it. After today, he won’t be pestering them ever again. They can go without on this occasion. Short-term inconvenience for long-term relief, right?> Before Tobias can protest, Marco launches himself into the air, heading straight for an unaware Jenkins. Tobias can hear Marco’s thought-speak cackle as he says, <finally, revenge! Sweet, sweet revenge!>

Thinking that Rachel would definitely approve, Tobias follows suit, taking flight and heading towards the target who suddenly realizes the danger as surreal as it is. Knowing the kind of person he is, knowing that Jenkins could very easily have been one of those kids who swirled his head in the toilet bowl all that time ago, Tobias has a smug sense of satisfaction in seeing Jenkins's expression of dawning horror.

Jake finds out, of course he does. He wouldn’t be the leader if he didn’t somehow have a magic way of discovering what each member of his team is up to. Although admittedly, they didn’t exactly keep it a secret – Jake heard their mutual laughter as they arrived for the latest meeting. Once the meeting is over, he makes Marco and Tobias stay behind. Rachel gives Tobias a look before she leaves with Cassie.

"So imagine how interested I was to hear a weird story about Jenkins being attacked by some kind of crazy renegade bird.” Jake has his arms folded. “Actually, not just one bird, but two. Says he dropped all his stuff and just ran."

Tobias is glad for his inscrutable hawk expression because he is squirming uncomfortably on the inside under Jake's stern gaze as it flicks between him and Marco. It only worsens when Jake turns to look at him directly.

"See, Marco being a moron I can kinda understand. But you, Tobias? What were you thinking?"

The disappointment is the worst part. <Sorry, Jake. I wasn't really thinking.>

"No, you weren't. Ok, so he wasn't a Yeerk, but what if a Yeerk heard him talking about it? Put two and two together?"



Jake gives a little huff and shakes his head briefly, but Tobias and Marco exchange a look knowing that it means he has gone through the routine and is on his way to forgiving them both. “Jeez, you guys.” He looks part let-down leader, part concerned parent, part disgruntled friend.

“Sorry, Jake.” Marco looks appropriately penitent. “But it was for a good cause, I promise you.”

“Look man, I know Jenkins gave you some trouble last year but we can’t always be taking revenge on—”

“A better cause than that,” Marco interrupts, his dark eyes strangely serious. “Tobias needed money. He wants to buy a Christmas present for Rachel.”

It’s a good thing that hawks don’t blush but Tobias still can’t look at Jake as his mouth falls open. “What?”

<Don’t worry about it, Jake. It’s cool, I’ll find some other way.>

“Tobias, why didn’t you say?” Jake is now perfectly mollified, even sympathetic. It still doesn’t help to ease Tobias’s embarrassment at being exposed.

Luckily (or maybe not), Marco helps him out. “Would you admit you’re too broke to buy a present for your girlfriend?”

Tobias punctuates the argument and squashes his pride by shaking out his feathers.

Point taken, Jake shrugs understanding before looking at Tobias directly. “You need money?” He is frowning a little, but it’s the gentle frown of someone who wants to help. “How much money?”

Tobias reluctantly tells him, having done the math over and over. Jake lets out a low whistle, although his expression changes when Marco tells him how much they got from Jenkins. Tobias also shares how much he has gathered from scouting the streets, collecting carelessly dropped cash from holes in pockets, unsecured wallets and the like. Jake’s brow is furrowed as he thinks.

“I can give you some money, Tobias.”

<No, I need to earn it.>

“Of course. I’ve got some really annoying homework I could do with some help on.”

“You’re going to pay Bird-Boy to tutor you?” Marco interjects with a laugh.

“Like you can talk, Marco. I saw your last pop quiz result.” That shuts Marco up – Jake is one of the few who can do that. Rachel is another, but she usually does so with threats of violence. “It won’t be much.”

<That’s fine, Jake. Every little helps.>

“But… I do know how you could get some more money. Why not ask Cassie if she needs help in the barn? I’m sure her parents would be willing to pay for a bit of labor, they try and give Rachel some cash if she helps out although she always turns it down.”

<That’s a good idea.> If Tobias can’t have direct contact with Cassie’s parents, he can at least talk to Cassie and work something out. He should have gone to Jake sooner - of course he would know what to do.

“But if you need a little more than what Cassie can pay you…” Jake shoves his hands in his pockets casually and looks as if he’s a step away from whistling nonchalantly. It’s very uncharacteristic of him, enough so that he has Tobias’s full attention. “Well, if you ask me, school bullies are small fry. I’m not exactly… endorsing… theft… But if you steal from a thief… Especially one terrorizing the streets…”

“What do you mean?” Marco leans forward slightly, interested.

“Just something my dad read in the paper the other day.” Jake shrugs. “Nah, forget I said anything.” He gives them a look which says whatever you do, I don’t want to know about it. You got that?

Tobias understands. If he could smile, he would.

<How much more do you require?> Ax looks at the mixture of bills and coins which he has carefully arranged and counted in Tobias’s presence. Tobias has found a comfortable place to perch – it’s raining and the miserable weather as well as the relatively warm atmosphere of the shack makes it feel like they’re co-conspirators in a secret hideout. They kind of are and the thought cheers the part of him that is still a teenage boy.

Ax’s stalk eyes swivel to look at Tobias while his main eyes look at the stash of money before him when Tobias tells him the target amount. <Ah, I see. You have made good progress, Tobias.>

<Yeah, well we got some from that mugger we busted last week.>

<Your plan to chase him into the arms of law enforcement worked, then.>

It had, beautifully. The local newspapers had carried stories about a slew of street robberies and Tobias had found the culprit easily enough. Thanks to Marco once again taking delight in hunting down someone who deserved payback, the guy had been so busy running he hadn’t noticed the contingent of cops that Marco had also artfully arranged earlier congregating in a nearby parking lot. <Yeah. He dropped some when he was running away from us and we managed to grab some more from his apartment before the police got there.>

<If you needed further assistance, you should have asked.> Ax produces a small box out of nowhere and scoops the money into it. He has kindly agreed to keep it safe for Tobias, who doesn’t have a secure hiding place. Birds don’t actually stash things inside trees like in those crappy children’s’ stories. They leave them with their alien friends in the real world.

<We were fine. But I don’t think we’re going to do it again. Too risky.> It was fun though and Tobias knows that it helped Marco let off some steam. There won’t be any talk for a while of the Animorphs taking up a secondary career in crimefighting, which was probably Jake’s ulterior motive for hinting at their mission.

Ax blinks his understanding. <So now what, Tobias?>

<Hard labor,> Tobias answers.

"Thanks, Cassie." Tobias sets down the broom, his hands and arms aching a little from gripping the handle too hard and attempting to mimic the same broad, strong, cleaning strokes that Cassie had demonstrated. The discomfort doesn’t matter though because soon enough he will have wings again and when he morphs human at a later date, the beginnings of any calluses on his hands will be erased.

Cassie gives him her usual kindly smile, perfectly pleasant and sincere. She removes a tough and worn set of work gloves, having been to one side doing some heavier cleaning. How she is so unfazed makes Tobias feel a little embarrassed at his tender hands and muscles, everything also aching from where she had made him clean out the stables earlier. "It's no problem, Tobias. I should be thanking you for the help."

Tobias shakes his head in disagreement, but knows that they could go back and forth on this forever so he changes the subject. "How did you manage to swing it with your parents?"
Cassie waves away his question as she turns her attention to the water bottle attached to a cage containing an injured, jittery vole. "I told you not to worry about that. You'll get paid at the end of the week. Can you come by again the day after tomorrow?"

Tobias answers without hesitation. "Sure."

"Great." Cassie smiles at the vole in the cage who continues to eye her warily. "So, you should be coming closer to your total, right?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate it, Tobias. You're doing something really cool." Cassie smiles again, thinking of her friend. "She's been going on about some knitwear trend this season so at least you've covered that, but she'll also be grateful for all of the effort you've gone to."
It felt nice to know that although they weren't as close as say, he was with Ax, there was still a mutual love of Rachel linking them together beyond their connection as fellow Animorphs. The thought that Cassie cared about Rachel as much as he did gave him a sweet and warm feeling in his chest. He didn't even feel embarrassed that Cassie knew all of the details - everyone knew now and besides, she would have eventually heard from Jake anyway. Thinking of Jake, Tobias asks a question, wondering if Cassie is in the same position as him. "Are you going to get Jake anything special for Christmas?"

"Huh?" Cassie jumps involuntarily, nearly dropping the bottle she was holding. She skillfully catches it before fumbling with it awkwardly, trying to remove the top so that she can refill it. "I, uh, haven't really thought about it."

He wasn't sure if she was being truthful or not. It wasn't like Cassie to lie but then again he had asked her a personal question. After a moment of meeting Cassie's eyes and seeing her break eye contact quickly, he realizes that he had completely forgotten it was rude to stare. As a hawk he was so used to fixing his gaze upon something or someone. He hurries to apologize but Cassie just shrugs.

"Don't worry about it, Tobias. You know, I really haven't thought about getting anything special for Jake; we're always so busy just trying to survive and trying to get through school... But you know, maybe you've started something." Her eyes glaze over a little as she considers. "Maybe for at least a little while it would be nice to worry about something so... Ordinary."

"Ordinary." The word sounds foreign, but it makes Tobias smile slightly, instinctively. He hadn't considered, in all of the flurry of trying to earn funds to buy a present for Rachel, that the very act of Christmas shopping was something that was so normal to a lot of people at this time of year with the holidays fast approaching. "Yeah, ordinary."

Cassie seems to know what he was thinking - her smile matches his own.

“So… If I factorize this, then it becomes…” Jake looks so different when he’s trying to do homework. He looks almost like a normal kid rather than the fearless leader of the Animorphs. His brow is carefully knitted together in concentration and he is unwittingly chewing on his pencil. The only light in the room is that of Jake’s desk lamp. It throws the calculations on the page into stark relief, as well Tobias’s own sharp shadow on the wall.
<That’s right.>

“Now what?”

<You can take it further than that.>

“I can?”

<Look again.>

Jake obeys, scowling at the numbers and symbols and willing them to make sense. He is doing well, though. Tobias feels a little proud as the answer clicks into place and Jake scribbles down some more numbers.

Tobias has had time to study for fun, watching Rachel in math class through the window from his distant perch. His vision is sharp enough to see every line of every problem and he could see the logic flowing in Rachel’s neat handwriting as she wrote her solution down, saw it emerge from the point of the pencil she held with a delicate but determined grip. He could see the pretty fingers of her free hand sweep stray blond strands behind her perfectly formed ear and when the same fingers flick a rude gesture of dismissal at a jock who tried to talk to her, Tobias admired them even more.

“Is this right?” Jake asks, snapping Tobias back to the present.

<Yes.>

Jake smiles appreciatively at him and Tobias thinks about what it will be like when he finally gives Rachel her present. The thought of her beautiful grin sends a jolt of warmth through his heart.

"So that must be it now, right?" Cassie watches Tobias staring at the bill she has just given him.

"Yes, with one cent of change." Tobias tries to show his gratitude by arranging his face into another smile, one that he hopes is wide enough to demonstrate how grateful he is. He never realized before how strange human mouths are; beaks are uncomplicated in comparison. "Thanks, Cassie. This means a lot."

"No, thank you for your help. This place looks great - my parents are going to be a little suspicious when it goes back to its original condition." She looks around the old barn with affection. "So when are you going to the mall?"

"Sunday."

"Do you need me to come with you?"

Tobias shakes his head and when his hair skims his eyes he feels weird but like so many other things about this human body which used to be his, he ignores it. "No - Jake, Marco and Ax are coming with me."

Cassie laughs gently at the thought of the boys willingly arranging a trip to the mall. "Are you sure that's wise?"

Tobias isn’t, but he feels like the boys rather than Cassie should be there for moral support. "I need you to make sure Rachel isn’t around."

"Sure." Cassie understands; of course she does. "Well... good luck, then." She gives him a quick, friendly hug.

They all go to the mall separately, casually arranging to bump into each other before wandering along as a group, trying to make it look like they just decided to hang out on the spur of the moment, although it was probably closer to a military operation in terms of planning. Tobias isn’t sure whether the performance is convincing or not but it doesn't matter as he gradually relaxes in the presence of his friends.

It helps when they pause for a natural-looking break near a candy store and have to explain the concept of candy canes to Ax. He insists on trying one for the sake of experience. By now, they're well-versed in damage control when Ax tries new things. Jake and Marco laugh loudly and clap Ax on the back as if he's told a brilliant joke when he first starts freaking out about the new taste, covering up his over-excited screeching. Tobias is on hand to give Ax a stern stare and offer the promise of more candy if he calms down. Eventually, Ax falls silent, contemplatively sucking on the cane, experimenting with pulling in his cheeks and lips as he does so. At least it keeps him quiet, Tobias muses as they all stand on the escalator, heading upstairs.

They reach the upper, golden circle that contains the more expensive stores. It's a little quieter up here and Tobias swallows as he approaches the one that he needs. His heart drops when he sees that the window display has changed - the hat, scarf and gloves have been replaced with a carefully tailored winter coat that costs even more than the money he has in the backpack that Jake let him borrow. Thankfully however, he spots the set as part of a display of items further inside the store and he stalks towards them with purpose.

"Can I help you?" A clerk interrupts his step.

It is then that Tobias remembers that teenage boys don't just walk into high-end stores with old backpacks and expressionless faces. "No, thank you."

"Are you sure?" The clerk is impeccably dressed and has slicked-back hair and a suspicious gaze.

Tobias is grateful when Jake sweeps in out of nowhere and distracts the clerk with a question. "Hey there, can you help me out? I was just wondering—" Jake looks so sensible and is putting on his best rich-teenager face and stance, mimicking those kids at school so easily that the clerk is taken in and immediately rushes to his assistance. Tobias is free to head towards his goal.

In his hurry, he collides with a girl who has blond hair that isn't half as gorgeous as Rachel's.

"Hey, watch it, you jerk!"

"I'm sorry, I—"

"There is like, so much space! Why are you walking so close? What is your problem?"

Tobias gapes but before he can make himself look even worse, Marco is there. "My friend just got distracted by your lovely looks, that's all. Cut a guy some slack, ok?" Marco's grin is wide and charming - he's been practicing and even though he looks young, too young for her perhaps, the valiant effort makes the girl laugh and the spell is broken. Tobias continues on.

Unfortunately, another woman is already by the display, looking at the sets underneath it. The set comes in multiple colors, but Tobias knows that Rachel favored the caramel shade so he nearly cries out in horror as he sees the woman move to pick up the only one left. The other shades are candy pink (definitely not Rachel) and white (Rachel complained that it would make her look pale in daylight) and won't be good enough. No, he can't let it happen! He braces himself, ready to knock the woman aside and proclaim it was an accident.

"CANDY CANES!" There is a very loud shout from the front of the store and Tobias along with everyone else swivels to see Ax standing in the doorway, proudly brandishing a bag of red and white striped sticks. "IIIII LOOOOOOOVE CAAAAANDY CAAAAANES!"

Tobias takes the opportunity to snatch up the set while the woman gapes in Ax's direction, hurrying away before she can notice or care. Jake and Marco gravitate towards Ax and laughingly apologize for their friend to several shocked-looking spectators who aren't sure whether to look away or look towards the young man attempting to push candy canes onto other customers with eager cries of "Do you like candy canes too?" They gently usher Ax out of the store as Tobias nears the counter.

The woman at the till blinks before turning her attention to Tobias. "Just this, Sir?"

"Yes." His heart doesn't stop thumping until he exits the store with his purchase in his hands and one cent of change in his pocket. All of his friends are waiting to give him high fives. Ax's hands are sticky from the candy but no one cares.

Jake and Cassie sit to one side together, talking quietly. Marco appears to be attempting to explain competitive sports to Ax. They are all together, but apart, spread out, with the mall's fountain providing a gentle background sound to the bustle of people finishing up their shopping or taking a quick break. If Tobias listens carefully, he can hear snatches of conversation.

"But why is it called football if the ball is primarily carried with the hands? Haaaands. Haaaaan-Duuuuu-Zuhhh."

"Just... Don't, Ax-man. Anyway, like I was saying—"

There is a gentle, musical note of laughter from Cassie as Jake says something to her.

Tobias tunes them out and focuses again on Rachel, who is looking curiously at the package. She looks at it, then back at him, then back to the box. A smile is playing at the corner of her mouth.

"You actually got me something." It isn't a question because the evidence is in front of her, it's more a factual statement. She isn't sure whether to frown at the mystery or grin at the gesture.

"Yeah, well." Tobias shrugs his shoulders, trying not to stare at her too intently although he knows Rachel wouldn't mind if he did. "I wanted to... Give you something special."

"Tobias, being with you is special enough." She arches an eyebrow at him.

"Sure but I still wanted to." He wills her not to argue anymore, to just accept it and she must see it in his face because she finally nods.

Tobias knows that out of the corner of their eyes, everyone is watching as Rachel undoes the ribbon. The stream of gold drapes across the leg of her jeans. She pauses with her hands at the edges of the box's lid and Tobias holds his breath. He knows that everyone else does, too.

She looks up at Tobias, pausing. "But I didn't get you anything."

"It... doesn't matter." He can almost feel everyone sigh with frustration. Does that faint groan come from Jake or Marco? "Just open it, Rachel. Please."

Her stare is as severe as any hawk's and her eyes are vivid. With a nod, at last Rachel lifts the lid away and pulls back the tissue paper in one careful but swift movement to reveal the prize.

Her mouth drops open. Words fail her, the first time he's ever seen it happen.

She takes a long moment to unwind the scarf, strong but soft hands stroking the luxurious yarn with care. She brushes the hat gently, pats the gloves delicately.

Rachel still doesn’t speak but turns to look at Tobias. He is arrested by her gaze, studying the flurry of emotions that whirl through her eyes even as her mouth remains still. He understands that she can't quite communicate how grateful she is, how happy she is, how much she knows he put into this present.

Always one for actions rather than words, Rachel suddenly darts forward and plants her mouth on his. Although he's kissed her before, it's never been like this, not quite so full of silent feeling in a noisy public setting. He thinks he can hear someone whooping, cheering him on but everything disappears, pushed away by the mysterious force that is Rachel - the way she feels, the way she smells, the way she tastes overwhelms everything else.

Later, when it’s time to go home, proudly wearing the scarf, the hat and one glove, Rachel walks with Tobias, her other bare hand tightly clutching his, not caring who sees, defying everything and everyone.

Right now, their security measures are slightly relaxed. Cassie, Jake, Marco and Ax follow behind in a formation that isn't as spread out as it should be. This occasion is an exception. The mall is full of decorations and beautiful lights, giving it an undeniably festive feel. Just this once, it's ok to relax, to feel warm, to feel happy.

Tobias is definitely happy, filled from head to toe with love. Next to him, Rachel looks like model, all gorgeous hair, co-ordinated clothes and a true, bright smile that only highlights how pretty she is. For now, her Warrior Princess nature is hidden by the image of a content teenage girl. She had let him wrap the scarf around her before donning the hat like a crown. After imagining what she would look like, actually seeing her wear the set is something else so when she had asked how she looked, Tobias had simply nodded. She's beautiful - there's no doubt about that. When she catches him looking at her as their steps continue in sync, she sticks her tongue out at him playfully.

Tobias allows himself a gentle laugh in response. As they keep walking, he glances over his shoulder. Cassie gives him a tender smile. Jake nods at a job well done. Marco gives him a wink. Ax grins at him and waves.

Next to him, Rachel is quiet but her smile says it all - it hasn't faded since their earlier kiss ended. Briefly, she tips her head to rest on his shoulder. He tips his to match, his cheek brushing the tickly bobble on the top of her new hat.

They don't need to say anything else. They both know.

Tobias's feet tap on the ground even as his head is in the clouds. He's so pleased it went well, so glad that Rachel is happy, so grateful for everyone's help. He silently thanks them all again and again as they continue walking, towards the mall's exit and the cold, darkening urban landscape beyond.