Tamby was fidgeting uncontrollably.
She'd gotten the perfect gift for her friend, Illum, and she couldn't be more eager to deliver it, but she just didn't know when to do it, or where the right place was.
It wasn't something that she could gift wrap. Giving the gift to Illum at the typical time that kids opened presents would never work, and it would be way too embarassing.
"I suppose I cou-WAH!!"
Illum pounced her unsuspecting friend, nailing her into the ground and going so far as to pat her catch upon the rump, though it was little more than a tease between friends. "You suppose you could what, slowpoke?"
Tamby was plenty used to the teasing treatment, nearly bordering on abuse from Illum, but that was simply how their friendship worked. Tamby was just ten, and Illum eleven, so their behavior wasn't too much outside the norm for girls their age.
"I suppose I could...join you for cake? It's almost that time, right?" Tamby asked, trying to make up a good excuse for talking to herself. The timid little skunk-rabbit could barely turn back to face her aggressor.
The playful satin mouse gave an enthusiastic nod, her thin, rope-like tail swishing about behind her slender figure. "You better join me for cake! I can't let my favorite Tamby miss out on the best sweets of the evening!"
"I'm your only Tamby," she countered, almost sounding a bit offended at the silly idea that there might be someone else by the same name. Hers was quite the unique handle.
"Yes you are...and as such, I command you to join me at the dinner table!" Illum ordered, tugging upon her friend's t-shirt with a playful fervor.
Tamby tried to stand, sending her friend rolling over her fluffy, tan tail, and onto the soft carpet. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!"
Illum shook her head about, trying to regain her balance. "Mnn...that's okay. You actually listened for once," she mentioned, sticking out the tip of her tongue.
The skunk-rabbit stood upright, matting down her jeans and tugging her t-shirt back into proper place, befitting behavior for such a shy creature. Illum, on the other hand, sprung right up, her skirt jostled, and her normally neat hair simply begging to fall out of it's bun. Something about that wild appearance was begging at Tamby's curiosity, and she wanted to explore it.
Her mental wander lust was obvious. Illum poked Tamby right between the eyes without her even truly noticing.
"You coming to the table or what?" Illum asked, snapping her pawtips together to get her friend's attention.
Tamby blinked and shook her head, a bashful blush filling her cheeks with warmth. She nodded meekly, so faint that Illum almost didn't notice. "Yes..."
"Good! Let's go!" Illum shouted, grabbing her friend tightly around the wrist and tugging her with into the dining room.
The dining room was huge, and though the pair were just young pre-teens, the area would have seemed massive to anybody. Illum came from a very wealthy family, and the entire house was large beyond necessity. Tamby would never get used to the size, and during her play-dates with Illum, she would often get lost, resulting in an unintentional game of "hide and seek."
Tamby fell gracelessly against a chair, thankfully open, and climbed into it, making haste to draw attention away from herself. Illum helped her along with it, as she ran around to the head of the table and sat down, moving as noisily as possible.
"This is no good...I'll never get to give her the gift now!" Tamby pouted to herself, as her long, soft ears started to droop a little bit. She was having trouble putting on a smile for the party, but she did her best, sitting in such a public setting.
Illum, on the other hand, couldn't have been in brighter spirits. She was an alpha personality, and loved to dominate a conversation, or in this case, a situation, and all eyes were on her. "Thanks for coming to my party, everyone! How about we open some gifts?"
A nearly thunderous cheer erupted from the eager children around her. Though they were treated to likely the best party of their young lives, they couldn't help being excited for even more fun. Most of the children were fantasizing about being in the head chair, right in Illum's shoes, getting to open more presents than they could count. Tamby simply panicked, knowing her present wasn't on the table, and she was beginning to wonder if Illum would ever get it.
The gift opening process took nearly an hour. The time was filled with an explanation of each gift as Illum opened it, and whether or not it was something she wanted, a grin played about her face each time, as if she was pillaging the party for everything that it was worth. Tamby tried to sink further and further out of her chair, fearing for her life if she should get called upon to give her gift to the birthday girl.
"Oof!"
Tamby sunk so far down in her chair that she fell to the floor under the table, but everyone else was so engrossed with Illum and her gift-opening escapade that no one noticed her hitting the floor. She welled up with embarrassment and became misty-eyed, and, unable to bear the thought of disappointing her friend any longer, she used the opportunity to bolt from the room, sneaking out of the dining area without another whimper.
In the other room, the skunk-rabbit could still clearly hear Illum calling out the names of her friends and inquiring about their gifts. "I think that's everyone...oh, wait! I saved the best for last! Tamby! Where's your gift?"
Tamby slunk off a bit further, still too shy to try and give the gift, and too bashful to admit that it wasn't in some big, fancy box, like all of the others had been. "Please don't come looking for me..." she whispered, trying to creep further away.
Illum surveyed the dining room, and the heads of all of her friends followed her, as all eyes were suddenly on the empty seat Tamby had been in before. "Now where did she get to? She probably got lost again. You all stay put, I'm gonna go find her!"
Tamby gulped in the other room, her sensitive ears picking up every word of her friend's declaration. Her legs turned to jelly, and suddenly, she found herself unable to run away. Through sheer lack of ability to run, she was going to give Illum her gift, one way or another.
Soft, quick pawsteps filled the quiet hallway that Tamby chose to hide in. Illum was a sly girl, and she could pick up the faint scent of fear coming from her friend. It was something she'd actually grown to like. "Tamby...whatcha doin' over here? The party is the other way, you dork!"
The skunk-rabbit didn't manage to find a hiding place, simply sitting with her back against the wall, and her knees hugged up to her chest. "I...I just..."
Illum almost felt sorry for how shy her friend was, but on this occasion, it was all about her, and she didn't have the patience for her timid nature. "You just what? What's the deal?"
Tamby wanted to sniffle, but she managed to find the only resolve left in her system. "Can we...can we talk in the closet?"
The shy young lady tapped the closet door behind her. Like all of the other rooms in the house, it was massive, and had plenty of room to hide more than a couple people. Illum was confused, but wanting to make her way back to the heart of the party, she obliged her friend. "Alright, but this better be good!"
"It is," Tamby whispered, looking back to her friend with a very shy smile. "I'm gonna give you your present."
Illum felt her frown flip clean over, and her thin tail curled up into a playful coil. "Now that is what I wanted to hear!"
Illum pushed her friend into the closet the moment she opened the door, sending the two of them tumbling down onto the floor again. Tamby shrieked in shock, but she barely had a chance to catch her breath before Illum was scrambling over her, looking into the depths of the closet for her mystery gift. "Where is it? Where is it?!"
Tamby had her face buried in her friend's tummy, blushing bright as a cherry as she tried to fumble her way back to sitting upright. "It's...not in a box, Illum."
The satin mouse slumped back off of her friend, onto her knees. Her ears started to droop in disappointment. "Well, then...where is it? What could it be?"
Tamby took in a deep breath, finding the very last welling of courage she had to give. "It's...this."
Tamby placed her small, dainty paws on Illum's hips. Her heart felt like it might leap from her chest, and her breath started to sneak away from her. Her paws were shaking nervously, and her head was starting to feel dizzy.
She couldn't wait anymore. She had to do this.
"Tamby...?" Illum gasped, feeling her dominant, alpha flair falter for the first time that she could remember. Her own paws lifted slightly, resting upon her friend's lower back, as if her body were answering to a foreign instinct. She leaned her upper body a little bit closer, suddenly knowing what was coming, though she didn't know how else to respond.
Tamby did.
The shy, timid skunk-rabbit finally delivered her present. Her upper half leaned forward. Her shaky, clammy paws clenched tightly at her friend's dress. And then...
Her lips, soft and pure, met with Illum's, shy and waiting, with a gentle, heartfelt touch. The softest of gasps managed to pass Illum's lips, and then, there was no sound; no party, no guests, no noise at all. There were only two blushing young ladies, two rapidly beating heats, and two sets of lips, resting perfectly upon each other.
Letting the tiny bit of instinct that she had guide her, Tamby brushed her lips along Illum's, smoothing them together in the gentlest of motions. Illum let out a tiny growl of appreciation, but, as the birthday girl, she let her lips be teased, deciding that she wished to be pampered.
Tamby was glad to oblige, and even moreso beyond just giving the gift; the kiss was leaving her with the most pleasant tummy full of butterflies. She was enthralled with how well the gift was going, and so engrossed in the moment, she completely lost herself within it. The pair were floating down a river of a perfect moment, sharing the absolutely perfect gift.
"Illum! Come back downstairs, it's time for cake!!"
Illum's eyes, long since having closed to the sensations on her lips, flew wide open at the voice of her father. "Oh! Tamby, we completely forgot the party!" she shouted, her lips pulling away from her friend's, only out of need. "We need to get back down there!"
Tamby could feel her face burning with a blush that she couldn't shake. The courage was all gone, as if Illum had taken it right from her lips, and all that remained was the shy, timid girl that was there before. "Oh...I'm sorry. I...I hope you enjoyed your gift, Illum," she mused, unable to stop blushing, but unable to stop smiling, either.
Illum quickly gathered herself, standing up and grinning down at her friend. "I definitely did save the best for last, Tamby. Now come on, slowpoke. You're making me miss the rest of my party!"
Tamby stood up with her friend, feeling one last butterfly flutter in her tummy. Illum was a harsh friend at times, but Tamby had become used to the treatment, and knew that this was her way of showing affection. With a reaction like that, Tamby knew that she'd done well, and in giving the perfect gift, she'd received the perfect first kiss.
