"C'mon, Hunter! We need to get these presents bought and wrapped by tonight or we won't have enough time to cook tomorrow!" Arizona exclaimed, practically dragging Hunter along with her to the markets in order to find gifts for their friends and her family. Tomorrow marked the beginning of Krita's annual Winter festival, and the two hadn't even thought of what they were going to get for their loved ones until today. Now, both of them were rushing to get at least a little something for their friends and Arizona's family before tomorrow, when they had to cook a couple dishes for the potluck they were putting on.

Hunter subconsciously tugged on the bandanna Arizona had lent him for the outing, making sure his ears were covered. He never really liked all of the hustle and bustle of the shops around this time with people running to get last minute gifts, which was why he had already bought gifts for everyone way beforehand, but Arizona wanted to drag him along, so he wasn't going to argue. He was also vaguely hoping that this could help him get enough confidence to be able to tell her about his feelings for her. He had been bottling them up for a long while and felt that there was no time like an impromptu shopping trip to help him. He knew there were a lot of people around and he may get humiliated if she rejected him, but... okay, maybe this wouldn't be such a good idea after all.

Arizona seemed to be oblivious to Hunter's internal panicking as she continued to practically drag him from shop to shop, excitedly talking all the while "Oh! My mom would love this necklace!" Arizona exclaimed, her eyes practically sparkling as she took in the necklace that she had mentioned, a beautiful ruby pendant on a golden chain. Though, that sparkle dulled when she saw the price of the item and she looked away from it with a slight sigh. "Well, too bad it's way out of the budget for the shopping." And with that, the two continued to browse the shops to see if there was anything that Arizona at least could buy for everyone. Though, it seemed she was also partially window shopping for herself as she would constantly point out things she found cute or cool.

Hunter silently followed behind, making mental notes of the things Arizona had pointed out, planning to do his own last minute shopping since, despite having bought things for everyone else well in advance, he still had yet to find something for Arizona. He always found it hard to shop for her as she never really wanted anything and she usually was quick to buy the things she did want.

As Hunter followed behind Arizona, keeping a wary eye on the people around them, his mind kept going back to what he might buy her. Though he was also needing to keep an eye on his own budget. Both him and Arizona didn't really make much, due to Arizona not really finding many jobs because of her gender and Hunter not really finding anything where he could easily hide what he was. So, the two took to doing a lot of budgeting to make sure they at least had enough to get by while also saving for a rainy day if needed. It took quite a bit of hard work and perseverance, but they were managing. It also helped that they were also sharing a house and, as a result, splitting the rent and keeping the cost of utilities down as much as they could.

Though, this holiday season was definitely a hit to their budget, but they luckily had started to save for it well in advance and had quite a bit of money stored to hopefully buy something nice for everyone. Though Arizona, being the procrastinator that she is, decided to put off shopping until the last possible second and decided to drag Hunter along for moral support and to help choose gifts, hence the reason the two were there.

A little while after scouring shops for cheap, yet nice gifts, Arizona and Hunter decided to get some lunch at one of the many food stalls set out around the marketplace. Hunter was extremely grateful for the chance to sit down and eat. It felt like they had been walking around for hours, though he knew it likely wasn't that long.

As the two ate, they began to brainstorm ideas for what to get for Melody, one of their closest friends and the last person on Arizona's gift list. Like Arizona, she never really wanted anything, though she also didn't really buy many luxuries, either. They both wanted to make sure to get her something special just to show how much she meant to them.

Once they were done eating and had a vague sense of what Melody might like, they were off to the shops yet again. As they browsed, Hunter had caught sight of a small wolf plush that Arizona had called cute earlier, but had quickly moved on in favor of finding gifts for other people instead of buying things for herself. Seeing that it was the only plush left, Hunter was quick to purchase it while Arizona was distracted, looking at a different item that she thought would suit Melody.

"Oh, she is absolutely going to love this!" Arizona mused, purchasing the item, a small plush of a fox, Melody's favorite animal. Though she soon frowned when she noticed that the wolf plushes were now out of stock. "Damn. Someone must've bought the last one already. I was gonna see if I still had enough money left over to buy it, too... ah well, no point in pouting over it now. Let's get outta here." she said before heading off for home.

Hunter quietly followed behind her, silently glad he had bought the plush when he did though he did feel a bit bad for being the one to snag it before Arizona could. Regardless, he was just happy to have found a gift that Arizona would like, though on his way, he had also bought an emerald necklace that Arizona had also been eyeing, though this put him extremely close to the limit of the budget he set for gift buying. Though, he didn't mind since he had gotten things that he knew would make Arizona happy and he figured maybe the necklace might help him confess.

Upon getting back home, Arizona was quick to start going through her bags to sort out the items she had bought. "Okay, that's for mom... that's for Fae... that's for Melody..." she began murmuring, listing off the name of each person each gift was going to as she pulled them out of the bag, though she stopped at the last one. "Oh! That one's for you! I'm just gonna go hide it so you aren't tempted to take a peek." she stated, playfully winking towards Hunter before heading off towards her room and emerging a few moments later, the gift having been put away.

"So, what did you get from the shops? Something special just for me?" Arizona inquired in a teasing tone, playfully attempting to look in Hunter's bag. Hunter playfully pulled the bag away.

"You'll just have to find out tomorrow." he retorted, a playful grin on his face.

"Awwwww, and here I am just dying to know what you got. You're so cruel, Hunter!" she responded, pouting in a playful manner.

"Well, I suppose I could give you one of the things I got you..." Hunter responded, in a bit of a shy tone. He supposed now would be as good a time as any to try and tell Arizona about how he felt. After all, it was just them alone now and the worst that could happen was that she turned him down and things got awkward between them. Still, he figured he might as well take a chance. Taking a bit of a deep breath, he drew out the necklace he had bought.

"U-um, I saw you looking at this in the shops, and thought you might like it... a-and I figured it might help me tell you that... I-I... I like you..." he squeaked, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

A surprised look overtook Arizona's face when she saw the necklace and she began to reach for it and speak up, though paused when she heard Hunter's confession. "I... um... already kinda knew that." she responded with a soft laugh.

"No... like... I like-like you... you know... more than a friend." Hunter responded, his face turning as bright red as his hair.

Arizona let out another soft laugh. "Yeah... I kinda already knew. You... really aren't too good at hiding your feelings. You really think I didn't notice how you always seem to follow me around like a little puppy? Or that you blushed whenever I would call you cute or hold your hand? I may be oblivious, but I'm not that oblivious." she responded, a slight smile on her face before she took the necklace from him, placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "Besides, I like you too." she added, a huge grin on her face and a slight blush dusting her cheeks.

Hunter's blush deepened even more in response to what Arizona had said, and at the kiss on the cheek. He stared at her in surprise, too stunned and flustered to say anything. Arizona burst out into soft laughter at Hunter's reaction.

"Geez, you're just too cute... and that blush only makes you cuter..." Arizona mused, placing another kiss on Hunter's cheek.

Hunter buried his face in his hands, an embarrassed squeak escaping him. "How are you able to flirt so easily?"

"I've learned a thing or two from romance novels. You sure you're ready to get into a relationship with me? I may be too much for you to handle." Arizona inquired, a teasing smile on her face.

Hunter playfully rolled his eyes. "Please, I've been handling your antics for two years. I'm sure I can handle them for as long as we're together."