Welcome to Gaia! ::

The only reason, Zach was certain, that his shopping was complete was because Fiona was a Christmas veteran. Together, Mentor and Mentee decided to tackle holiday shopping as a team - comparing lists, checking not twice but thrice, and planning their route of attack. The mall would be crammed to the brim with people in all manner of stress and it would be incredibly easy to lose one another or get shoved in one direction or another. Luckily, Fiona was distinctive and stood out in a crowd, and Zach was tall enough not to get crushed.

Their last stop was for Zach’s coworker for their Secret Santa gift exchange - he didn’t know them incredibly well, but he recalled Amanda talking about how much she omg loooooooved Bath and Body Works anything. With a gift limit of $20, and with one Pern In Particular in tow, maybe they could come up with something decent? Zach felt out of his element between being elbowed by aggressive and larger older women, and being in a mall shop marked for a demographic to which he didn’t belong. It smelled… overwhelming in the brightly-lit shop. Spritzes and sprays were everywhere being tested, and Zach was sure he’d walk out with at least some glitter on his person.

Craft herpes.

“So, uh--” Zach stumbled, almost running right into a display whose sign screamed, SPARKLING CRANBERRY DREAM, because a pair of middle school girls decided roughhousing in the mall was a splendid idea. “Pern, what would you wanna get? I mean, a lotta this stuff kinda… smells the same?”

"Handful of small bottles? Yeah, probably a good idea." Truth be told, the boy looked completely out of his element and relied heavily on Fiona's opinion to make these kinds of decisions. This wasn't ACE Hardware or Home Depot, where he felt more at home. The mall was an uncharted jungle of stores and flashing lights. "...maybe like, a sampler or somethin'. That way, it's more likely I'll pick out a scent they liked... Wish they'd give us more of a head's up, or like... a better list. I don't know much about this stuff."

Plucking a small bottle of shower gel that sparkled a bright lemon yellow, Zach squinted. "I'm more of a... cheap-soap-that-comes-in-a-twelve-pack kinda guy." With a chuckle, Zach was confident that Fiona would understand. She understood so much of him without trying, it seemed. Maybe she was just that good, or just that observant. Or Zach himself was just that open, even if it was entirely unintentional.

Five small bottles of shower gel later, Zach fought his way towards the back of the store with the redhead in tow. Each bottle was a different color and, presumably, a different scent. Yellow, red, purple, blue and a golden wine color. That would be sufficient, wouldn't it? One of the bright red and tinsel-covered signs overlooking one of the holiday scent displays said BUY FOUR, GET ONE FREE, referring to all bath and body products under a certain price point. Excellent, Zach could still do rudimentary math.

"You okay, Pern? Thanks for comin' with me. Didn't think I could do this without you."

"Aww... why you gotta do that to me... in public..."

Zach was very obviously blushing from Fiona's admission to wanting to just spend time with him, no matter what it was they were doing. Even shopping at the mall, crammed to the bring with people in various states of incredible stress, was considered good enough for Fiona. Without a free hand to hide his face from her, Zach took to looking at anything opposite of the redhead's gaze, at least until the terrible blush died down.

She meant such a great deal to him, and he lacked the words to explain it in a way that felt proper. With enough gravity. Zach sincerely hoped Fiona understood - and she probably did, given how observant she typically was. The young man hoped that, someday, he could adequately explain to her how much she influenced his life for the better, and that, without her, things might have taken a much darker turn.

Not that he would ever give himself up to the Negaverse willingly, but the temptation crossed his mind once or twice.

Zach shook his head to rid himself of those intrusive thoughts, and with Fiona in tow, began to make his way towards the register. This was the last stop on his list. "Ya know, Pern," he started, noting four people were ahead of them in line. Sheesh, this place was busy! "I got somethin' for you, too. When d'you think it'd be a good time to give it to you?"

He was thankful she was so gentle in her approach. Zach's overwhelming need to act as though he were made of stone had subsided over time, with Fiona's guidance and support. It wasn't entirely gone, but the boy was starting to see therapy as a viable option to becoming a better person. One thing at a time, though - they both had to live through the holiday season before considering self-improvement.

"How's... Christmas Eve sound?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at Fiona. (Zach was just a little jealous that she was so tall - were all the ladies he usually hung out with amazons? Fiona could probably be a basketball player if she was so inclined.) "I promised Dad I'd be there on Christmas Day, and Ceecee will be there too. It'll be a rare chance for the whole fam' to be in one place, you know? You're welcome to come too, if you don't got other plans! I know everybody'd want to have you if you didn't have someplace to go."

As soon as the pair arrived at the front of the line, Zach paid for his acquisitions and bought a gift bag for the Secret Santa at his job. Once everything was said and done, Zach turned to gently grab Fiona's wrist to lead the two of them to freedom. And fresh air. Something that didn't smell like forty-seven flowers and thirteen fruits simultaneously.

He turned to Fiona and, despite all the noise and activity around them, leaned in to gently touch foreheads, just for a moment. "Pern? ....thanks."