Canon-Compliant, Fluff

"It's the gift that keeps on giving!"

Tighnari stared down at the scarf in Collei's hands, a look of incredulity on his face. "It's the gift that keeps on giving?" he parroted, gaze briefly flickering upward to meet Collei's. "Looks like an ordinary scarf to me."

"Well, yeah, but that's not the point!" Collei protested. "Nilou said it's a tradition at the Zubayr Theatre, to give the gift to someone else and see how far it gets by the end of the week! This year, it was her turn to make the gift, so she knitted the scarf and gave it to me!"

The scarf in question was a medium length, with stripes of pure white and velvety red running its entire length. With a few frayed ends here and there, it was easy to tell that this was handmade. "So, you're telling me to just give it to someone else?"

Collei nodded excitedly. "Yeah! And then tell them to give it to someone else!"

Tighnari had been a little reluctant when Collei had first presented the scarf to him- even though the winter season was approaching, he was never the type to get cold thanks to his fur. If he were to accept the gift, then it would most likely just sit in his hut and collect dust.

But if the point of the gift was to simply give it to someone else, then that wouldn't be the case at all. "I've gotta say, that's a unique way to advertise the Theatre," his eyes glinted with amusement as he held his hands out to receive the gift. "It sounds festive; I'll take it."

^w^

A day or so had passed since then, and Tighnari had nearly forgotten all about the gift. The only reason he remembered was due to something Cyno mentioned during his visit.

"It feels so weird being here in the forest, after having been in the desert for so long," the General Mahamatra huffed while he ran a hand through his unruly hair.

"I'd bet," Tighnari mused, sorting through some letters on his desk. "Such a drastic, sudden change in biome is sure to feel strange."

"Especially at night." Cyno waltzed up to where Tighnari was seated, setting his hands on his shoulders and peering curiously at his work. "It's always warm here, but the desert gets so cold at night that it keeps me awake."

Tighnari's ears twitched, his hand freezing up as he suddenly remembered the gift. "Oh, that reminds me; I have something for you."

Cyno stepped away from Tighnari, watching intently as he got up from his seat and started to rummage through one of his drawers. "You do?" he asked, a hint of confusion laced in his question.

"Yeah, I think it's right over..." The forest watcher's voice trailed off for a few seconds. "Here!" The sounds of shuffling came to a halt. With the object in hand, Tighnari shot up from his hunched position, turning on his heel to face Cyno. "For you."

In his hands was an ordinary, yet comfortable looking garment. "A scarf?"

"Not quite." Tighnari shook his head. "It's the gift that keeps on giving."

"It's..." Cyno looked away from the scarf to peer at Tighnari. He looked as serious as could be. "It's a scarf?"

"Well, sure it is," the Forest Watcher shrugged, stifling his laughter as best as he could. It seems he wasn't the only one confused at first. "But it's more than just a scarf."

Cyno narrowed his eyes, trying his hardest to figure out what Tighnari was planning. Was he going to finally start telling jokes? The thought alone was more enough to entice him. "Alright, then." He crossed his arms, a slight smirk to his face. "Show me what else this gift can give."

"Alright." Spreading the scarf apart while holding onto either end of it, Tighnari flung it over Cyno's head and onto his shoulders. Without warning, he suddenly pulled his companion forward, meeting him halfway and bringing their lips together in a kiss.

It certainly wasn't a joke, that's for sure. But, hey, he wasn't complaining. Cyno's eyes fluttered closed as he eased into the kiss, bringing his hands up to cup Tighnari's cheeks.

When they finally pulled away from one another, Cyno was the first to comment. "You should give gifts like these more often."

Author's Note

I FORGOT TO POST THIS LMFAOOO MY BAD!! Deadass just went to bed and woke up, checked twitter, wondering why I was getting no notifications, only to realize that there was nothing for people to like. Next chapter coming out a little later, I'm at a football game rn!