The air around the small courtyard was still and glasslike, almost frozen in time. The only movement came from a lone figure walking past and peering into each of the windows. With each display he passed, he became more and more disappointed, until he finally let out a grunt and sat down on the clean, dry curb.

Ulrich had repeated this same routine four days in a row now. He would walk up to or into a store, and look around. The problem was not with lack of selection. In fact, there were several instances where he was sure he had found the perfect gift, only to put it back on the shelf. No matter what Ulrich picked up, his mind would find some imperfection or flaw with the product or idea, and put it back on the shelf. Normally he wasn't this picky, but it was his first Christmas with his boyfriend, and what could he say? He wanted it to be perfect.

Boyfriend. The word still made Ulrich slightly uncomfortable, but Odd made him so happy. Nothing that made him this happy, more happy than he had ever been in his life, deserved anything less than the best he could give him. So here he was, on December 23, still giftless and stupid enough to be sitting outside in 10 degree weather and contemplating life.

Ulrich got up, brushing the seat of his pants as he did so, then turned around and walked across the sidewalk to the nearest store. It was a larger one on the corner, but looked just as old as the rest of the stores in the area. A small round sign hanging perpendicular to the door advertised in bold script:

Tiroe's Fine Gifts and Fresh Flowers

As he entered the shop, there was no bell. Instead, a tall, black haired teenage girl was standing there and said "Welcome! I noticed you sitting out there in the cold."

Ulrich rubbed the back of his head and replied "Yeah. I-I honestly don't know what I was doing."

The girl smiled and turned around, revealing the lace back of her top as well as the two huge wings tattooed on her back, and said "That's easy, you were thinking" She began walking towards the counter, talking all the while.

"Most people don't come to our store to browse. They come to find what they're looking for. The perfect gift. Am I right?"

Ulrich nodded, then said "Yes."

The girl walked behind the counter and consulted a large manual lying on its top. "So who will it be today? Mother? Brother? Estranged aunt? Friend?

"Well," Ulrich replied, rubbing the back of his head again, "It's more for someone i'm in a relationship with."

The girl looked up and asked, with a completely serious face, "Boy or girl?"

Ulrich was taken aback, but still answered "B-boy."

All he got was a smile before the girl started walking to the back.

"My mother likes to handle all of the romantic stuff, let me just page her- MOM! GUY NEEDS A GIFT FOR HIS BOYFRIEND!

"ANGEL! DON'T. SHOUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STORE!"

"BUT-"

"And before you even say 'you hypocrite'," a large woman declared, coming around the corner. "I was upstairs. I was not shouting in the middle of the store."

Angel turned and muttered under her breath "Still a hypocrite…"

The mother turned to Ulrich and smiled. "As i'm sure the little ball of teenage angst and rebellion told you-"

"I take that as a compliment."

"You really shouldn't. Anyways people come into the store never to browse, but to find. And find they do. Now, I'm guessing nothing too loud or flashy?"

"That would be preferred. It's been a few months but i'm still… new to the whole pride thing."

"Do you like the concept of pride?"
Ulrich found that a strange question and had to think a moment before answering. "Yeah, I do I guess. But I don't want it on display 24/7."

"You like your privacy, and knowing that you yourself has pride for the person next to you is enough."

"Yeah."

"I have a good idea I think. What's his favorite color?"

"Purple… Pink… Honestly he's just kind of a walking statement."

Angel snorted and almost dropped a small glass ball. Her mother shot her a look, then said "Closest I have is a nice Burgundy. But let me see what I can do with it."

The mother turned around and walked towards the back of the store.

Ulrich started to follow but Angel held him back.

"She's got it. You need to answer a few questions though."

The first half hour was spent taking care of details, like the spelling of Ulrich's and Odd's names and the measurement of his wrist. Ulrich let her know that Odd's wrist was only slightly smaller than his, and she wrote everything down on a piece of paper and ran it to the back room.

The next hour was spent by Ulrich being pulled by Angel through the store. She would dust, straighten up, and fire random questions at Ulrich.

"Favorite movie?"

"Ummm I like a lot of horror ones"

"Favorite book?"

"I honestly haven't read anything good in a-"

"Do you think these gnome figurines are ugly?"

"Wait wha… oh wow those are something else…"

"MOM HE THINKS THEY'RE UGLY TOO."

"NO YELLING IN THE STORE"
"BUT YOU-"

"I'M IN THE BACK ROOM NOT THE STORE"

Ulrich was amazed at how many things were crammed into the shop. Clothing, jewelry, figurines and all seemed amazing and beautiful. Passing by a shelf of cats, he spied a purple one in the back. Ulrich picked it up and smiled at the impish look carved into the face of the stone.

"That one is special. Don't know where my mom got it from but its been sitting here for a while."

"I like it. How much?"

"Maybe 10? I'm not sure."

A few minutes later and Angel's mother came back to the front of the store. She presented two boxes to Ulrich but handed him the one in her left hand.

"I think I got it down."

Ulrich opened the box and exhaled. A bracelet of brown braided leather rested on a small cushion. In the middle there was a silver bar with a complex swirling pattern stamped into it. Ulrich looked closer and the pattern resolved itself. In the center of the swirls there was an interlocked pair of letters- U and O.

"Flip it over."

Ulrich did as he was told. The underside was inlaid with six small stones, creating a rainbow. They rested in a small depression so whoever was wearing the bracelet wouldn't feel them rubbing.

Ulrich opened the other box. Odd's bracelet had dark red leather with a single strip of purple through the braid. The pattern on his was more angular and the metal was rounded a bit. But underneath it was a mirror copy of Ulrich's.

"They're pretty good aren't they?"
"They're perfect."

Angel's mom smiled and said "I'm so glad."

Christmas Eve rolled by. It was a day of video games and talking. Ulrich received a disappointed call from his mother, asking why he wasn't home again, but Ulrich didn't want to explain it for the third time. His father still refused to talk to him. So after a quick merry Christmas Ulrich hung up and continued the mini celebration. Towards the end of the night, Aelita and Jeremie appeared with plenty of food. The friends sat, talked, and laughed.

Across town, Yumi looked over her family, a small smile on her face. This was where she was happiest.

Ulrich and Odd both went to bed a few minutes before midnight. Upon waking up, Ulrich was immediately assaulted by dozens of kisses and merry christmases from Odd. His affection, while still uncomfortable to Ulrich in public, had been something he had grown to love and appreciate.

When Odd opened Ulrich's gift, his eyes got wide. Without a word he put the bracelet on and hugged the brunette.

Odd's gift to Ulrich was a new skateboard, custom made. Ulrich babbled about how it was too much money, but Odd shushed him. He wanted to spoil Ulrich. This time, when Jeremie came over Ulrich and Odd went with him to his house. Christmas was spent in the company of friends and good people. Everyone was extraordinarily happy.

Aelita took Jeremie aside and they watched Ulrich and Odd. When Odd gave Ulrich a kiss on the cheek, Aelita did the same to Jeremie. Both boys turned red and sputtered. Aelita and Odd high fived.

There is not much more that can be said. The world is a place of fear and danger, hatred and pain. But, It is also a place of silver linings, of gentle breezes and beams of sun and many other tiny things that outweigh the bad a thousand to one. And as Ulrich sat there, with the boy he loved, he knew that there was so much more to feel. It was no longer a matter of deserving, but experiencing everything the world had to give him.

The End