Work Text:
Today’s forecast: snow! Lots of it. Yes, all around Mobius, snow was beginning to blanket everything that wasn’t already covered up. According to the news, these snow showers would last for at least a day or two. Schools were closed, and by the time the snow stopped, young children would be running amok while their parents had the not-so-fun duty of shoveling snow out of the driveway. In the meantime, it was recommended to stay indoors where it was warm. Whisper the wolf, “Guardian Angel of the Battlefield,” was more than happy to do just that.
It wasn’t often the mercenary had a break. With threats like Dr. Eggman, Dr. Starline, and Mimic running about, it seemed as if she always had to look behind her shoulder to make sure she wasn’t under attack. Part of her was still concerned that one of them was going to jump out at her despite the snowstorm, but she did her best to push that thought back for now. She deserved a break; that was something everyone was constantly telling her. Restoration Director Jewel, her wisp companions, even Sonic—and that was someone who could barely hold still for more than three seconds. Perhaps she had earned it, Chaos knows when the last time she really relaxed was. So, today the sniper had a new mission: kick back, relax, and enjoy a moment of peace for once. She already had the day planned out, too! She was currently in the kitchen, preparing some nice hot cocoa and a bit of poundcake, her favorite meal. In the living room, she had a pile of her coziest blankets stacked up on the couch. Not far from the blankets was a selection of Christmas movies; most of them on the older side for nostalgia. The fireplace was crackling with a comforting glow. She was going to have the perfect break, relaxing and festive.
That’s when a loud, prolonged groan rang out from upstairs.
Whisper, not at all a stranger to danger, quickly went into fight or flight. Gripping her wispon, she hid behind the counter and held her aim towards the doorway. Whatever it was, it was coming from upstairs. The only way it’d be able to feasibly reach her was by coming in towards the entrance. She was ready for them. She’d get the jump on them. Footsteps started to gradually increase in volume from the stairs. Not too loud, not too rough sounding. The source of the footsteps was presumably on the lighter side. Probably not Eggman; he’d make too much of a show about his arrival. Starline? Possibly, but he was very cautious…he wouldn’t make this much noise. Mimic? Mimic was also one for stealth, but he was a master of mind games. What if he’d shapeshifted into someone noisy just to throw her off? Her grip on her wispon tightened. No. She’d be ready for him.
“It’s still snowing…! Ugh, no one’s gonna be out in a storm like this! There’s nothing to do!” the voice ranted. Whisper’s ear twitched. That voice…feminine and energetic, if not a little grumpy from the situation it described. It was familiar. “Whisper? You around here, girl?” it spoke again, “Pfft! As if you’d be out there, right? That’s my thing. Seriously, where are you?” So painfully familiar. Tangle. That was undoubtedly Tangle’s voice. The excitable little lemur from Spiral Hill. Her girlfriend. Whisper’s guard lowered ever-so-slightly; Mimic was able to replicate voices, and liked to hit where it hurt. She didn’t put it past him to shapeshift into the person she loved most just to hurt her more. The owner of the voice stepped into the doorway; sure enough, the appearance was Tangle. “Do I smell hot co— WOAH! ” she yelped upon seeing the weapon aimed at her. “Simmer, girl! It’s me! It’s me !”
The wolf narrowed her eyes, ears flattened. She inspected the “lemur” in front of her carefully. To his credit, Mimic was a master at his craft. He could replicate anyone’s appearance almost perfectly. Last time, he’d been able to convince her to lower her guard by copying her mannerisms perfectly. So, anything “Tangle” said or did now wouldn’t be all that convincing. Still, there had to be a giveaway, right? Some kind of indicator on whether or not she was the real Tangle. She made eye contact…that’s it! Something she had managed to notice from their last encounter was while Mimic could copy appearances almost exactly, there was still one giveaway: he could never get the eye color correct. Anyone he shapeshifted into would have dull, brown eyes in place of their own. She’d gazed into her girlfriend’s eyes enough to know their color, a gorgeous fuschia. The eyes staring back at her? …That same gorgeous fuschia. Whisper sighed, lowering her wispon and twitching an ear at the ‘phew’ that escaped Tangle. “You scared me. When did you even get here?” Whisper scolded.
Tangle raised a brow, tilting her head. “…Seriously? You don’t remember? I’ve been here since last night! You invited me over!” she replied. Whisper frowned. With everything on her mind, she’d completely forgotten inviting her girlfriend to come spend the night with her. Maybe she did need a break. Before she could apologize, Tangle laughed and walked over, extending her tail to embrace her in the way that only she could. “Sorry, Whisper. I’ll make myself more clear next time.” she offered, “What are you up to, though? I smelled hot cocoa and came rushing down.”
“Well, it didn’t seem like a lot was going to happen today. I thought I’d try to get comfortable and take that break you’ve all been telling me to have.” Whisper answered, scowling at the wispon in hand. Right. A break, in which she’d almost fired at her girlfriend. Already going great.
To her surprise, Tangle’s eyes lit up as if she didn’t just have a weapon pointed at her a minute ago. “Really?? Oooo! I know, like, so many things we can do! Let's go outside and have a snowball fight! Then we can make a snow fort! Then go snowboarding!” the lemur chirped, tail swishing in excitement.
Whisper couldn’t help but laugh a little. “I think it’s snowing a bit too hard for that right now, Tangle.”
Tangle was not at all swayed, already headed for the front door. “Pshh, no way! A little snow never killed anybody!” And with that, the lemur was out the door. Whisper hesitated, not sure if she should follow her. She was supposed to be taking a break, not catching a cold. But, she couldn’t exactly let Tangle catch one either…
Her thoughts were interrupted by Tangle barging right back in, in the span of about two minutes. “ Chaos, it’s cold out there!” she yelped, wrapping herself in her tail in an attempt to warm up. Whisper sighed, letting out an affectionate chuckle. Tangle was certainly…fearless, and that was just what Whisper loved about her. There was never a dull moment with her around. “Told you.” she teased, earning an eye roll from the lemur.
“Yeah? And what’s your idea of a snow day?” Tangle challenged, “Does it involve hot cocoa? Can I have some?”
“If you can hold still long enough to drink it.” Whisper chuckled, pouring her a mug anyway. She gestured to the couch, and Tangle took a seat. Taking her spot next to the lemur, Whisper handed her girlfriend the mug and pointed to the stack of movies. “I was going to stay here and watch some old Christmas movies.” she explained, wrapping herself in one of the blankets.
Tangle paused to consider her options, using her tail to form a hand of sorts and scratch her head. “Hmm…well, it’s definitely not as exciting as snowboarding…” she flashed her girlfriend a toothy grin, “But if you’re here, I bet it’ll be pretty good! I’m in!” she declared.
Whisper smiled, hesitating before giving the lemur a small peck on the cheek in gratitude. They’d been dating for a little while now, but Whisper had always had some trouble expressing her affection. Maybe a snow day with Tangle could help her in that regard, too. A snow date, if you will. Tangle took the kiss as her cue to wrap an arm around the wolf; a gesture that was welcomed with a snuggle. Whisper eyed her girlfriend’s hot cocoa, suddenly frowning at a realization. “I forgot to give you some marshmallows. I’m sorry, I can—“
“Don’t sweat it! I got this.” Tangle insisted. Instead of getting up, however, Tangle’s tail simply just…stretched over to the kitchen, returning with a baggie of marshmallows. “See?” she giggled. Whisper let out a small chuckle. Sometimes, she wondered just how long Tangle’s tail actually was. Maybe it was sentient. Who knows? Popping in a few marshmallows, Tangle rummaged through the movies before picking one out. “Woah, A Christmas Story? Haven’t seen that one in ages. ” she remarked, “Can we watch this one first?”
Whisper nodded, starting the movie. “I’m surprised you know about it.” she admitted.
“Oh, I used to watch it all the time with my dad! He’d totally be geeking out if he were here.” Tangle replied, “We didn’t get to do much together, but this was kind of our thing. So, it’s kinda nostalgic for me. I’ve only ever watched it with people who are super important to me; Dad, and you!” she explained with a grin.
“You’re sweet.” Whisper replied, trying to get comfortable. As the movie went on, Tangle would occasionally begin rambling about her childhood. How she and Jewel would go sledding every winter, how she’d always get tangled up in lights trying to help her mom set up the tree, and how she and her dad would always make it a point to watch this movie, even if one of them was sick or tired. Whisper wasn’t usually one for conversation, so for the most part she just listened. But, that was typical; Tangle would talk, and talk, and talk, and Whisper would listen. And Whisper absolutely loved hearing her ramble. The lemur always had a certain energy and charm that made it hard not to like. Sometimes, she had no idea how someone like that ended up with someone who was the complete opposite of her in every way—not that she was necessarily complaining.
When it came to the scene of the triple dog dare, Tangle spoke up again. “There’s no way that actually happens, right?” she asked, “If I went outside and stuck my tongue to a pole, there’s no way it’ll stick. They just did that to be funny!”
“Mmm, no, actually. Your tongue will stick if you do it.”
“Nuh-uh! I betcha it wouldn’t! When the snow stops, I’ll prove it.”
“Tangle!” Whisper laughed, “Please do not stick your tongue to a metal pole. I’m not calling the fire department if you get stuck.” she chided affectionately. Tangle only responded with a wink, which earned an eye roll from the wolf. She knew there was a good chance Tangle might actually try sticking her tongue to a pole when the storm settled, and she knew she would call someone if she got stuck. Tangle didn’t have to know that though. Maybe she’d be discouraged from it if she thought no one would help. As the movie continued, Whisper was surprised to see how focused and quiet Tangle was. Well…quiet for Tangle’s standards, at least, as she still let out a whistle at the stockinged leg lamp. This movie truly did mean a lot to her, and Whisper couldn’t help but smile when she remembered how excited Tangle seemed to get about watching it together.
They kept watching, the lamp now broken and buried. While Tangle had seemed to enjoy the lamp just as much as Ralphie’s father, she seemed just as entertained as Ralphie’s mother when it broke as he tried to fix it. As the Parker family went to get their tree, Whisper considered getting her own tree this year. With everything that had happened with Eggman, Mimic, and the Diamond Cutters, it had admittedly been a while since she actually had gotten to decorate a tree. Or share a Christmas with anyone other than the wisps, for that matter. Tangle mentioned she liked to decorate the tree with her mother as a kid. Maybe I could ask her to help… Whisper thought. After all, it was technically part of the relaxing everyone wanted her to do so badly. Or was she just looking for excuses to be with her girlfriend after spending so much time alone? Whatever the case, her thoughts were interrupted by Ralphie dropping the f-bomb in front of his parents. As if on cue, Tangle spoke up yet again. “Man, I remember the first time I said something like that in front of my mom. She didn’t wash out my mouth with soap, but I definitely knew she didn’t want me doing it again.” she chuckled.
“Oh, really? What did you say?” Whisper asked, twitching an ear.
“Bastard. Not the worst, but I used to stay up late, and heard it on some adult cartoon they’d put on at night. I was playing a game and got hurt by an enemy, and went ‘you bastard !’ right in front of her! I think she was more surprised than upset; she laughed and asked me where I learned that word. Then when I told her, she shook her head, told me not to say it again, and suggested I start going to bed earlier.” the lemur snickered a bit, “I’m sure you know how well I listened to that last part.”
Whisper chuckled; Tangle had way too much energy to go to bed early. Honestly, she was surprised the lemur ever slept at all. The movie continued without interruption for a while, save for Tangle cheering Ralphie on when he fought Scut. With how reactive Tangle was to the movie, you’d think she’d been watching it for the first time in her life. At some point, Whisper had felt something soft touch her side. Looking down, she’d expected one of her girlfriend’s arms to be there, and was surprised to find her tail instead. She glanced at Tangle, who was still completely focused on the movie. Either Whisper’s theory on her tail’s sentience was indeed true, or Tangle was being incredibly smooth right now. Nevertheless, she responded by snuggling into her side. For the rest of the movie, the two remained cuddled up together.
As the credits rolled, Tangle couldn’t help but eye the wispon by the couch. Her girlfriend’s most treasured item next to her mask, and in Tangle’s current situation: an opportunity for a reference to the Red Ryder rifle from the movie. She reached out a hand for it, only for Whisper to swat it away. “You’ll shoot your eye out.” she said with a wink, earning a laugh.
“Pfft! You’re no fun.” Tangle teased, glancing at her now empty mug of cocoa. “Y’know, I think that’s the most I’ve enjoyed sitting still and being inside. Guess I got comfortable. So…how about we get through the rest of the stack?” she suggested, gesturing to the other movies the wolf had pulled out for her break.
Whisper gave her a tiny, warm smile. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Great! I’ll get us a refill, and I’ll get you your poundcake. I know it’s your favorite!” Tangle chirped. As she walked to the kitchen, she paused. “Oh, and Whisper?”
“Hm?”
“When it’s done snowing, let’s go sledding.” the lemur suggested, “Jewel and I can show you all the best spots.”
Whisper nodded. “Alright. Deal.” she replied.
And as the snow continued to blanket the world, the two remained snuggling with one another, watching movies, and enjoying their warm refreshments. Eventually, they dozed off, Tangle’s head on Whisper’s shoulder. Maybe a snow day was just what they needed after all.