Event Prompt 12

Tigershine loves everything about Christmas. Although it doesn't snow often on the beach where the camp of Shoreclan rests, there can be some snowfall in the territory. In his own words, he enjoys "walking through a winter wonderland". That only somewhat applies to the scenery during leaf-bare.

He also enjoys spending time with family, friends, and loved ones. However, that leads to the point of what his least favorite thing about Christmas is - not having a suitor, boyfriend, or mate doting on him.

On this particular day, Tigershine was walking through the forest and grumbling to himself. There was snow on the ground and in the trees, but that did nothing to lighten his spirits. He was almost sure that nothing would make him happy... except for that one problem he was having. Tigershine doesn't like to admit when he might have feelings for a tom. The other cat has to be the one to confess to him. On top of that, they always have to bring him a flower. So that technically caused two problems - a tom that can actually confess their feelings and a flower that grows in the leaf-bare. It was very frustrating.

"How am I supposed to find a stupid flower with all of this snow? I mean... how is a tom supposed to find a stupid flower to give to me with all of this snow?" Tigershine hissed to himself. For effect, he kicked at a pile of snow against a tree. Immediately afterward, he regretted the action and shook his front paw.

Shivering, he licked his paw and continued his walk. Despite all of his fur, a chill had sunk into him. Tigershine ruffled his fur and walked faster in hopes of warming himself up.

The other major problem was there was a tom that was almost perfect for him, and maybe Tigershine was falling in love. But his romantic routine couldn't be broken, and he didn't want to confess since it would hinder his pride. He was a very prideful cat, for sure. It would take a lot out of him to get a confession, and he doubted he ever would.

He shook his thoughts about himself aside and let his mind wander to the tom he was interested in. His name was Streambrook, and he had joined the clan 2 or 3 moons ago. The poor tom had to remain an apprentice despite being much older, and Tigershine often teased him since he had just become a warrior. The two cats were the same age, but Streambrook had to go through much more training and learn how to be a member of Shoreclan. Eventually, he succeeded and now the two are warriors together.

Well, not completely together. Sure, they're very close friends. But not as close as Tigershine would like. Not like he would ever be the one to confess. That just wasn't logical.

Suddenly, fast pawsteps hurried to catch up to him from behind. Tigershine's ears perked up, and he glanced over his shoulder to see who was approaching. It was Streambrook, who had a large grin on his face and a gleam in his eyes. He was very handsome when he smiled so wide.

"Hey, Tigershine! Stormswirl told me where you were. What are you doing walking alone?" he asked as he sidled up to him. Their fur brushed against each other, and Tigershine's ears grew hot very quickly.

Tigershine didn't bother to move away from the other tom, but he shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, I figured I would just collect my thoughts. Besides, I'm not alone now. How come you wanted to find me?" There was slight flirtation in his tone with the second statement, but he wasn't sure if Streambrook would pick up on that.

"Maybe I didn't want to be alone. And I'm sure you don't either," Streambrook murmured. His expression was almost like he could read Tigershine's mind.

Tigershine gulped at the thought of that... and then tried to shield his thoughts. He shouldn't try to seem weak in front of his friend... and his romantic interest. Who was he kidding? There was no way in the Dark Forest that Streambrook would ever reciprocate those feelings.

"Actually, I wanted to tell you something," Streambrook continued, breaking the silence. Had Tigershine been quiet for that long? It didn't matter now.

He mustered up a response. "Oh, really? And what would that be?" he asked and cocked his head to one side. Streambrook had broken off eye contact and was staring straight ahead as they walked. Had Tigershine said something wrong? Maybe he no longer wanted to be friends...

They came to a clearing with large trees. Their branches drooped with the weight of the snow, but luckily none of it threatened to fall on the cats. Streambrook found a place under the tree where it was clear of snow and settled down, beckoning Tigershine to join him. The orange tom obliged, sitting down next to his friend and swallowing nervously. His heart was beating fast in his chest, anxiety taking over him.

"Tigershine... I've been meaning to tell you this for a long time. Actually, since I arrived in Shoreclan. You were the first cat to show me kindness, in your odd teasing way. But I appreciated the welcome you gave me, and you made me feel like I had a family."

The orange tom blinked and waited for Streambrook to continue. Where was he going with this? Oh, no... was he trying to say that he loved Tigershine like a brother? That was almost more terrible than just being seen as a friend or not wanting to be friends at all. He almost gagged at the thought.

"Anyways... I guess what I'm trying to say is... from the first moment I laid eyes on you, I knew that you were the one. You're the one I want to be with forever. And I know about your whole flower thing after watching so many others try. But I have no flowers to offer. I just hope... I hope that you'll accept my words instead. My full confession. I hope that can be enough. I want to be enough for you," Streambrook concluded. It was a long stream of words that came out of his mouth.

Tigershine was still silent. The words had to settle in his mind, and he had to make sense of them. Streambrook had feelings for him? Romantic feelings? And he had been feeling them since they had first met?

"I love you," Tigershine suddenly blurted out.