Sunlight streams in through the cracks in the blinds waking the two boys up from their night of rest. Winter looks at his alarm clock on his nightstand and sees it's 7:07 AM... He sighs and gets up to go get ready to go to Burning Hearts for the day, the wolf is about to finally get out of bed but then he feels Tails' hand grab him by the wrist.

He shouts loudly and looks down at Tails, the fox's eyes sparkling with pleading tears, his ears low. It was as if he was silently begging him to stay home.

The wolf feels his heart pull when he sees Tails' big sparkly blue eyes and can't help but crawl back in bed with him and hug him tightly, Tails satisfied with his response smiles and moans happily, the wolf's warmth making his heartbeat jump.

"Why are you so cute..." Winter says, burning his face under in his neck.

"I guess I have good genes" Tails responds, closing his eyes as he enjoys the wolfs embrace.

Tails rubs his face against Winter's neck while he continues to embrace the fox, his love for Winter on full display as he moans happily in his arms.

This... Feels so right. It feels so right being with him in bed like this... It feels so right to love him. It feels so good to have his support...

"You feeling any better?" Winter asks

"Yeah, but not completely..." Tails answers, the fox decides to sit up and sit on his lap.

"What would make you feel better?" Winter asks, sitting up so he could see his face.

Tails crawls closer to his face and wraps his arms around his neck, "If you stayed home with me. We could watch some movies, I could show you how to build some stuff, we could cuddle together... I really could use more cuddling heh heh"

Winter shifts a little which gets Tails' attention.

"Um, as nice as that sounds, I've never missed a day at Burning Hearts, even when I'm sick I go in" Winter explains.

Tails' face puffs into a teary eyed pout, the fox crossing his arms.

"First of all, you shouldn't be going in when your sick-"

"But I wear a mask-"

"Don't go into work sick you goofball!... Second of all, Winter it's not healthy to be going into work every day, no wonder there are always bags under your eyes, you're tired, if you're tired you're sluggish, sleeping, your reaction time decreases-!" Tails says, his hands on the wolf's face, looking at his tired eyes.

Winter grumbles, he wanted too argue but deep down he knew Tails was right, his logic would always come out on top anyway. Tails touches noses with him and smiles.

"Stay home. You're gonna be with me, and we'll have so much fun! Hey, you also said you'd help me feel better, and I intend to make sure you hold up to that promise!" Tails says to Winter, reminding him of what he said the night prior.

"Tails come on"

"Please Wolfy?! You promised!"

"Tails..."

"Pleeeeeeeaaaaaase?"

Winter grumbles some more, remembering that he did indeed promise Tails to help him move past Sonic's death. The wolf wanted to just sleep all day, but Tails' mental health was more important, and he knew at this point he'd become a vital part of his life... For the first time in his life, Winter actually wanted to stay inside, in favour of staying Tails and supporting him in this difficult time, if not to relax that's the right reason, right?

The wolf sighs and looks away from Tails, sighing loudly as Tails wraps his arm around his, "Fine... I'll stay back"

Tails' eyes widen with excitement, a smile forming on his face as he gets ready to let his excitememt show, "Wooooo! You're the best!"

Sorry Alex... I hope you can forgive me...

He jumps on Winter and gives him a loving squeeze, the wolf grunts remembering his smaller arms were more powerful than they looked. The wolf can feel how high energy he's become now that he's in better spirits, it made him feel good knowing that one simple decision could put a smile on his face.

Winter calls Alex letting him know he can't go into the restaurant, once that's over with him and Tails get ready and then go downstairs so Winter can make them breakfast. The fox begs Winter for Belgian waffles and the wolf reluctantly makes some for him if Tails ate some oatmeal and fruit first.

"Oh come on!" Tails shouts when Winter tells him what the gist is.

"You have terrible eating habits! Someone needs to make sure you're healthy!" Winter responds.

"No! I don't want oatmeal! I asked for waffles!"

"Why are you being a baby?!" Winter shouts.

"I like junk food okay!" Tails shouts back.

"Well it's not good for you fox! Eat the bloody oatmeal and then you'll get your junk food! That's final!" Winter bellows commandingly.

Tails whimpers and begrudgingly eats the oatmeal, Winter's piercing stare pressures him to eat the oatmeal... The whole thing. When Tails finishes putting the final spoon in his mouth, Winter puts the plate of sweet smelling Belgian waffles in front of him, collecting the empty bowl of oatmeal.

Tails moans in defeat and Winter pets him on the head, sort of teasing him over his little victory.

He's so mean, so strict, so cold... But he cares so much about me, he just wants me to be healthy... It makes me love him more...

The fox blushes when he thinks about how much Winter cares about him, it makes his heart beat faster, his chest warm up. A loving smile appears on his face as he takes a bite into a Belgian waffle.

After breakfast, Tails takes Winter to the basement to show the wolf how to work on machines. The fox sits close with him watching Winter as he instructs him on how to connect two circuit boards together.

"Remember to attach the right wires, if you don't it might not work properly... Or it'll explode... Either one" Tails warns.

"Yeah yeah, I heard ya fox" Winter says as he focuses on connecting the wires.

"Oh it looks like you're done! Let me see..."

Winter hands it over to Tails so he can examine it, he loves how well he followed his instructions. It appeared Winter could match Tails' skill when it came to making things, he feels further motivated to teach him.

"Hey, you're pretty good at his!" Tails says, satisfied with his work.

"You can tell?" Winter asks.

Tails nods, "It actually looks like it came from a professional, you know what this is right?"

"Uh you mentioned it was a location beacon?" Winter says, scratching his head a little.

"Yep, you remembered!" Tails says, his tails wag as he looks on at his favourite wolf examining his completed work.

"This is difficult but it's pretty fun too" Winter says, he sets the beacon down on the work bench.

"It comes with the territory of being an inventor"

Winter smiles at him and puts his hand on his shoulder, the fox flinches a little when he does, "You're a great teacher" Winter tells him.

Tails blushes and looks away from Winter, his heart felt like it would explode if he continued to look at him, "Haha, I uh... Guess some of Sonic rubbed off on me"

"Mhm" Winter goes as the wolf stands up so he can stretch

Tails feels it, that tugging feeling in his heart, that voice in his head shouting at him to kiss Winter right then and there, but he can't, not after the last time he let himself get careless... But this wolf, the way he smelled, how he was just a little bit taller than him, how his eyes looked when he was talking with him. Still though the fox couldn't just not do anything, so he embraces Winter burying himself in his shoulder.

Winter feels the warms on Tails' face as he gently wraps his arms around him and gives him hug. A brief chuckle follows and he hugs him back, resting his head on top of his.

"Wanna take a break?" Winter asks, enjoying the fox's embrace.

"Yeah" Tails says, smiling warmly, his blushing face still immersed in Winter's shirt.

The two spend some time sitting together, enjoying eachothers warmth before spending the rest of the morning working on tech and other things. Though the morning started out relatively relaxing, the afternoon however would be nothing short of a disaster... Because it was time for Winter to help Tails improve his cooking skills.

"No no no! Thats too much oil!" Winter shouts.

"AHH!" Tails shouts, panicking slightly.

The fox tries to use a spoon to try and scoop some of it out, he does... Into the sink which makes Winter fly off the handle.

"NO YOU TWAT! NOT INTO THE SINK! ARE YOU TRYING TO CLOG MY PIPES?!" Winter shouts, alarmed he wasn't smart enough to know that at least.

"I-I'm sorry!" Tails shouts dropping the spoon into the sink, his voice panicked.

"Nevermind that! Pay attention, the food is burning!" Winter shouts again, trying his best to keep his cool.

Tails shouts and turns his attention back to the pan, panicking when he sees the food is indeed burning.

"You're a terrible chef!" Winter shouts.

"I know! Ahhhh!" Tails shouts, practically on the verge of crying.

Needless to say, Tails' first time cooking was nothing short of a disaster. Following that disaster, Winter spends time cleaning up the mess they made together, and eventually sits with Tails who's feeling ashamed for his failed first attempt.

"I'm sorry" Tails whimpers, looking up at Winter with teary eyes, "I guess I'm not good at this Wolfy, I almost burned your kitchen down"

Winter wipes his face and messages his shoulder.

"I'm sorry too. I'm very passionate about food... As you just saw heh heh..." Winter says gently, "I'm not expecting you to be just like me in the kitchen, but I want you to be good enough"

Tails smiles hearing that come from Winter made him feel a bit better about himself, he was just passionate about showing him how to cook and it showed. He was accepting the things he taught him, it was only fair that Tails accepted the way Winter was instructing him.

"Well... I won't give up"

Winter smiles when he hears that come from him, "Figured you wouldn't... Hero"

Then the wolf gets an idea, "Hey! Why didn't I think of this idea sooner!... The best way to get you into cooking to to have you make things you're familiar with eating. Like something your friends made back at your hangout"

Tails likes that idea, his eyes sparkling when Winter brings it up, "L-lets do it"

"Okay, who made the meals back at the hideout?" Winter asks.

"Amy and Sonic would rotate between dinner duty" Tails responds, then it clicks, Tails knows what he wants to make, "Hey! I know what to make!... A meatloaf!"

"PFFFFFFFF-" Winter goes, trying to hold his laughter back.

"Hey! What's so funny?!" Tails shouts, punching him in the arm.

"I'm sorry, it just doesn't surprise me that the dish you want to make has meat in it"

"We're both descendants from carnivorous animals! I can't help it! I don't think you can either!"

"You're right, I do looooove meat. But I also like eating greens too" Winter responds, poking him on the nose.

Tails sticks his tongue out in disgust, "Bleh"

Winter sighs, "You're such a child"

"Meat is better! End of story!" Tails shouts, doubling down.

Winter bangs his head on the table a few times. Not only did he have to teach Tails how to cook, but he was going to have to work extra hard to force him to eat vegetables.

"I will make you eat vegetables regularly if it's the last thing I do!" Winter says, frustrated with his pickiness.

"Go on and try then!" Tails shouts, his cheeks puffing up.

The two growl at eachother before their aggression towards eachother dies down, Winter stands up and looks down at him.

"What are the ingredients?" Winter asks, a smile slowly forming on his face.

Tails' eyes raise a little and he starts smiling too, "Even though I can't cook to save my life, I remember everything that was usually put into it"

"Well then... Let's make a meatloaf-" Winter says, smiling at Tails.

Tails nods excitedly, being able to make a dish he was accustomed to eating with Winter sounded fun, and fun they both had. The process of making the meatloaf, though chaotic, was nothing more than fun for both of them. Tails would drive Winter insane throughout the process, constantly sampling the raw meat, the wolf's attempts to get him to cough up the uncooked food almost fruitless. Throughout the process though the two were proven again to be a dream team, as when the dish was done and served it looked looked like something from a 5 star restaurant.

Tails' eyes sparkle with excitement, his Tails wag excitedly, he's eager to dig into the food and Winter can see that.

"OOOOOHHHHHH, it looks amazing! Can I eat it?! Can I eat it?! Can I eat it?! LET ME EAT IT!"

The fox keeps himself from drooling, by wiping his mouth but the smell and the way it looks makes his mouth water even more.

And I thought wolves were always the ones eager to eat...

"Slow down hungry hippo, it's still hot. You don't want to burn your tongue do you" Winter says crossing his arms.

"Ahhhhhh come on!" Tails whines.

"Do you always get like this when it comes to food?" Winter asks.

"N-No!....... Okay maybe every now and then..." Tails answers.

Winter has himself a hearty laugh, "Sometimes I find it hard to believe that this is Miles Tails Prower, the same hero who's as brave as a lion and smarter than a group of the worlds top scientists also likes singing, showing affection for me, and likes junk food"

"H-Hey, I'm still just a kid! You are too!" Tails shouts, blushing from embarrassment.

"Mhm" Winter goes, trying to not laugh.

The two allow some time to pass before digging into the meatloaf together.

"Whoa! It's so juicy! And it smells so good!" Tails says excitedly, his big wagging bushy tails making a distinct wrapping sound.

"That's what a meatloaf is supposed to be" Winter responds, picking up the utensils.

"Woohoo! Itadakimasu!" Tails says, excitedly as he cuts into the piece on his plate.

"Itadakimasu!" Winter says also cutting into his food too.

Tails puts the piece of meatloaf in his mouth and moans, plenty of peppery meat flavour, just enough salt, a perfect blend of  beef, pork, chicken and other associated meats. As the two continue eating, Winter notices Tails' chewing slowing down from the excited manner he was eating in just two minutes ago, he can't help but feel concerned so he asks him if he's okay...

"Hey, you were gobbling that down just a minute ago? What's wrong-"

Then he hears it, the fox sniffling sadly, Winter gasps when he hears Tails sniffling and puts his fork and knife down.

"Hey, are you okay mate?" Winter asks, standing up and walking over to him.

Tails looks at Winter revealing his crying, messy looking face. It didn't take Winter long to realise that the food didn't taste bad, rather the taste reminded him of the past...

"Does it remind you of home?" Winter asks softly.

Tails shakes his head, "Sonic... He used to make this meatloaf sometimes. I-It was o-one of the few th-things he knew how to cook well. Sonic..."

Winter immediately stands up and sits with the fox and he sobs and sniffles, "I'm... I'm sorry-"

"I-Its not your fault... I just... Can't believe he's gone" Tails sobs, Winter puts his handsl on his back and rubs it as the fox sits there crying, the fox turns to him and starts wailing as he lays on his shoulder.

Winter looks down at the steaming food as Tails continues to cry. The food made him feel sad, the food bought out these emotions. Who knew a meatloaf could make someone like him feel so... Regretful.

After allowing Tails some time to calm down the two finish their servings and put the leftovers in the fridge. Winter and Tails originally wanted to take the train into the city, but the wolf knew someone was watching him, someone who wouldn't hesitate to report to his father that he was still talking with Tails.

"Hey, are you okay?" Tails asks, he head resting on Winter's chest as the wolf stares at the ground.

"Yeah, I just.... Wish we could go to that Christmas Party in the city like we planned to tonight, I don't have any motivation to go though. Not after what happened, I can't let my dad find out I'm still hanging around you and it sucks"

Tails holds Winter hand and looks into his eyes, "I agree..."

Winter smiles and stands up from off the couch, "How about we have our own... Right here?"

Tails blushes and laughs a little, loving the idea of spending time with just him, "Yeah, that sounds fun"

"What do you want to do?" Winter asks.

"Well uhhh" Tails mumbles, his voice going quiet as his mind already settled on what he wanted to do with Winter... Slow dancing, "Well I uh... I do want to do - slow dancing..."

Winter blinks his eyes a few times, his head tilting to the side, "Uh... I was expecting something more high energy from you"

"Yeah well, I just think it's a good way to end off today" Tails responds, his eyes pointing away at the wall, so he can hide his pink face.

Winter exhales, he couldn't deny that today was exhausting, between the two teaching eachother their respective talents and the painful reminder of Sonic's death still weighing on Tails, something sweet and mellow would be a great change.

"What song do you want to listen to?" Winter asks.

Tails' ears perk when he hears that, he looks at the wold with the usual look he had on his face whenever he felt his heart pick up, big sparkly eyes and a happy smile.

"I know a good one" Tails answers.

From there it was just as Tails imagined it, tender, warm hand holding with some relaxing music and both of them talking together and holding eachother's hands and waist as they dance around slowly together.

It feels like we're already together... It feels like I have him. I love you wolf, I love you so much...

Both boys spend the rest of the night dancing and chatting the night away together. Eventually the moon comes out and they decide it's a good idea to hit the hay and get some rest, tomorrow Winter was definitely going back to the restaurant and Tails would be chopped up in the house to

Tails lays there watching Winter as he sleeps, his cheeks rosy as he watches him rest with almost unmoving eyes.

I wish he'd hold me...

The fox moans and imagines what it would be like to have Winter hold him, his warmth, his familiar smell, his fuzzy white fur. He looked like a big fleshy pillow with an oversized tail. He crawls over to get closer to him, his heart pounding as he shimmies himself under Winter's arm and presses his face in his chest, his arms wrap around him gently and smiles a loving smile.

Winter opens an eye, feeling Tails cuddle up with him, he looks down at him and smiles too, wrapping his arms around the fox, Tails flinches when he feels Winter hug him back, but he's happy the wolf allowed him. The wolf closes his eye and goes back to sleep leaving Tails moaning excitedly, his tails swishing around, his heartbeat erratic as he celebrates quietly in his head.

Ahhhh I love him, I love him, I love him...

Heh... Weirdo...