"Open it, open it, open it," Ember chanted, "this one is from me." She smiled.
Almost everyone had opened their presents already, and two piles of wrapping paper and gifts were laid to the side of the Christmas tree.
Flame was sitting on the couch, with an averagely wrapped large box on his lap. To his left was Cynder, who was as eager to see Flame's gift as Ember was. Across from them, sitting on a purple loveseat, were Ember, Sparx, and Spyro (who was trying his best to sit as far away from Ember as possible without seeming too rude).
Everyone was surprised to see both Spyro and Cynder in the same room - supposedly, they were on friendly terms. But Cynder still looked like she was under a lot of pressure to stay happy.
Flame started unwrapping the present. In just a few tears, he was already looking at his gift.
"A laptop!" Flame yelled, feigning excitement. "Awesome! Thanks Ember."
"I tried my best." Ember kept smiling.
"Yeah, thanks." He thought bitterly.
"That looks like it cost a lot of bucks," Sparx smirked, "but it isn't as amazing as mine." He gestured to the last box by the tree.
Flame placed the laptop on the table in front of him, and reached to his right to get the gift. It was a big one - it could reach to his thigh if he was standing up - and it was wrapped in neon red paper. He began to unwrap it, and, much to his disappointment, it turned out to be a guitar.
He smiled weakly. "Aww, Sparx, you shouldn't have."
"Really, you shouldn't have."
Sparx flew in a circle. "I knew you'd love it!"
"Thanks." Flame said, setting the guitar to the side and standing up. "I'm gonna go grab some eggnog."
"I'll come with you." Cynder quickly called, getting up as well. She trying her best to not stare at Ember flirting with Spyro as she passed by.
Cynder hopped onto the counter next to the fridge, where Flame was looking for drinks. He found the eggnog, and reached into a cabinet for two cups.
"Is it any good?" Cynder asked, while Flame filled the cups on the counter next to her.
Flame looked to his left, at Cynder. She had seen better days - her eyes looked a little bit puffy, as if she was crying earlier. But she still looked graceful, as always.
"The eggnog? It's alright." Flame answered. "You've never tried it before?"
"No." Cynder replied.
They met eyes, and an awkward silence followed.
"Uh…" Cynder mumbled. She grabbed the eggnog and left.
Flame looked at her as she left. She was attractive - but going out with HER seemed insane. Spyro could still have feelings for her, for all he knew.
He took a sip out of his eggnog, walked into the living room, and saw three things.
One, Cynder had dropped her glass just a few steps ahead of the kitchen doorway. She had an expression of shock on her face.
Two, Sparx was flying out of the door. Ember followed, screaming behind her, "This party is over!" The door was slammed shut.
The third and final thing he saw, was Spyro and Elora locking lips on the loveseat.
"When did she get here?" Was what Flame was about to ask. But the unexpected couple was already opening the door, and leaving. He kept his mouth shut.
Cynder's face adjusted to a look of apathy. She knelt down to start cleaning the mess she had made.
"Cynder, I'll get that." Flame said, as he knelt down as well.
But he wasn't able to clean anything. Cynder lost her cool, and broke down in front of him, sobbing. He put a hand on her shoulder, and she leaned into his arms. They sat there for a very long time.