Murana's ears perked up. That was odd. She wasn't expecting company this time of night on this festive evening. She and Anthony weren't seriously dating just yet and he was on patrol tonight anyway, so it wasn't like he was going to come to dinner to celebrate the holiday. She had only made enough food and set out the place settings for herself and her two boys, Steven and Max. They were looking at her expectantly from their seats as she had just begun carving the turkey - a rare delicacy that she had to jump through major hoops just to secure, even with the proper permits!

Seeing as the person at the door did not make a mistake on whose apartment they were ringing, Murana got up and walked to the front door. Peeping through the eyehole, she was shocked to find Kyra dressed up fancy and wearing a cute ribbon in her hair. Opening up the door, Murana stepped back to let the kangaroo in. "Kyra! This is a nice surprise! I was actually going to visit you tomorrow to hand you your present."

"I know, I know." Kyra flushed as she bowed her head slightly to get through the smaller door frame. "I just was so excited that I couldn't wait until tomorrow. I had been planning to give you your gift for weeks now and I just couldn't wait anymore!"

Murana laughed. "Was it really that bad that it couldn't wait just another night?"

Kyra shook her head fervently with a smile. "Yes! You know me, I can be a bit... impulsive, but I mean well."

Murana nodded before shutting the door behind them. "I understand that very much." She gazed over at the dinner table, its setting lacking room for a fourth. "I'm sorry we weren't prepared for a guest. I don't think we have enough for you."

"Don't worry about it! Besides, I came by to give all of you gifts!" Kyra turned to look at the two boys, a small skunk and raccoon.

Both their eyes widened. "A present for us?!"

Kyra pulled out two boxes, one bigger than the other. She set the big one down on the coffee table beside the tree and couch. The boys bounded off their dining chairs and assaulted the box with gusto. Murana had to clear her throat harshly to get them to stop. "What do we say to Kyra, boys?"

Both looked sheepishly at the larger roo. "Thank you, Ms. Kyra." They said in unison before tearing back into the gift.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to hearing myself being called that." Kyra scratched her head uncertain.

Murana waved a paw at her. "Don't worry. I taught my boys proper manners. They'll show you respect... or else."

"Mom! Look!" Steven cried happily.

"It's a Furstation 9! These things are so hard to find now! They're sold out in all the stores!" Max's eyes lit up like a beacon. The two of them immediately got to setting up the game console to the television before popping in one of the three games Kyra had bought with the system.

"I hope they like it." She couldn't help by smile at the adorable kits. "I sorta guessed at what kinda games they would like."

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Murana reached out to put a paw on Kyra's, feeling the slight shiver of her touch. "How on earth did you manage to secure a Furstation 9 though? Aren't those going for like 500? And three games to boot?"

"Well, that's where my connections with Seth comes in." Kyra shyly looked away. "I maybe... sorta... had him pull some strings to get your boys the console and games, but that wasn't the real reason I got it."

"Oh? What was it then?" Murana gave her an askance look as she monitored the boys booting up the system.

"Well, it was to give us a bit of some private time while they're busy to exchange our gifts." She got a coy look on her face.

"Kyra, what are you planning?" Murana caught the look and a small grin broke out on her muzzle.

"Oh, nothing. Here's your gift." She displayed the small, wrapped box she had brought.

Murana put a finger up. "Hold on, Kyra. I'll go get your gift." She brought a larger box out from under the tree and walked over a bit shocked to see Kyra's tail up over the table between them, a mistletoe tied to the tip. "And what's that?" She pointed at it.

"This? Just a little something to hopefully get our evening started." Kyra bounced the end of the tail playfully, letting the bells jingle a bit. "I mean, if you want to..."

Murana couldn't help but feel giddy at this bold attempt at fetching some physical attention. "Of course." Murana leaned over the table as Kyra did the same. Their lips touched with the mistletoe overhead, their tongues doing a slight dance across each other as tinges of excitement bolted through their bodies. They stopped only when a few giggles were heard beside them. Both Steven and Max had stopped playing and were watching with big, goofy grins. Murana waved them off. "Go on, boys. Back to playing. You don't need to pay any attention to what we're doing!"

"Yes, mom!" They both said, chuckling more as they resumed their game, their squeals of delight filling the room.

"So what do you have for me?" Murana asked, more eager than she thought. She hadn't really been expecting Kyra to get her anything, not that anything was required for their friendship, but she was keenly interested in what sort of thing Kyra would think special to give to her.

Kyra blushed as she handed over her small box. "It's nothing terribly special. I don't really have much of value to give, but I do have these." Murana unwrapped the gift and beheld a beautiful pendant with an inlaid gem that had a faint glow, almost as if it were alive. "Seth found me with several of these and since then has kept them safe for me. He figures they are connected to me somehow. We've discovered that they react to my emotions and change colors based on how I'm feeling. I figured, giving you this, you could have a part of me with you wherever you go and know how I'm feeling at any given moment."

Murana's mouth was ajar as she stared at the stone, its aura giving off now a cool, sky-baby blue - an almost soothing color. If what Kyra said was true, the roo was definitely relaxed and calm around Murana and her family. "I... I don't know what to say, Kyra. This is beautiful. Now I feel a bit awful about the paltry gift I gave you."

Kyra scoffed. "Paltry? I'm sure whatever you give me is just as good, if not better!"

Murana shook her head. "I doubt it. I feel my gift was a bit less sentimental and not as personable as yours. You're giving up something precious that was with you for a long time. It's tied to you."

Kyra waved an impatient paw. "Don't be silly, Mura. Just give me the gift. I know I'll love it, no matter what it is."

Murana was hesitant, but handed her larger box over. Opening it up, Kyra saw a clamshell with a clasp sealing it shut. Opening it up revealed the scented interior. "It's a scent clam. A kink gift that Seth's store sells to customers. Yes, your Seth. I went to him one day after our..." She glanced over at her boys before resuming in a hushed whisper. "...first time together. I realized how enamored you were with my scent, so with his technology, he extracted my scent and infused it into the clam which, according to him, can retain it for years, decades even. So, whenever you want to remember me or my scent, you just open it and smell me."

It was Kyra's turn to let her jaw drop. This was beyond sweet. Her olfactory sense was extremely sensitive and she didn't need to open the clam fully to really smell the full heat of Murana's musk emanating from it. "That... couldn't have been pleasant. I've seen the extraction process." She snuck a quick whiff anyway, her eyes fluttering in euphoria.

"It wasn't. I'd personally not want to go through it again, but for you, it was worth it." Murana smiled at her friend already enjoying the gift.

A few tears began to form around Kyra's eyes. "I don't know to say. I guess we both gave each other a part of ourselves we can always carry around." She laughed through the tears. "I'm sorry, I'm usually not this sappy. I don't know what's come over me."

"Happy holidays, Kyra." Murana put both paws over the roo's.

"You too, Mura." She leaned forward again for another kiss, both not caring if either boy watched them.

Kyra character owned by: https://www.furaffinity.net/user/greyshores
Steven character owned by and licensed with permission: Berserker88
Max character owned by and licensed with permission: DrummerMax64

Art Done by: ThePakshi - FurAffinity Account: https://www.furaffinity.net/user/thepakshi