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Vector was moving faster than he probably ever had. His breath hitched as he hopped the hedge in front of the house and straddled his Extreme Gear: The Hard-Boiled. Pulling the key from his wristband, a few revs later and he was speeding down the block.
He huffed as a stoplight turned yellow at the next intersection. The croc revved the engine hard and boosted through the light a millisecond before it could change to red.
Pulling up outside the mall, he dismounted and scooched past an array of Valentine’s Day stands set up along the front of it. His shoes barely touched the ground as he swooped into the mall, barely making it through the glass door before it closed. He caught his breath, retucking the key he forgot was in his hand back into his wristband, and looked around the front of Mobius Megaplex.
Shops were lined with ribbons and baubles of all sorts, all different shades of red. He chuckled at a picture of a baby holding a bow and arrow tipped with hearts. He eagerly scanned the area for the one he’d promised to meet there, but no dice.
“Guess he’s further in.” Vector mused to himself.
As he walked through the gaggles of couples and friends all hanging out, he saw his beloved standing next to a surf shop holding a cup and sipping its contents from a straw. The cat’s back was turned so Vector decided to take the chance and sneak up on him.
Big was caught highly unaware as a pair of soft yet scaly arms wrapped around his belly and Vector’s face dipped into the crook of his neck.
“I knew I’d find you here~” Vector cooed into Big’s floppy ear.
“Vector! Y-you’re early.” Big stammered back, his cheeks faintly glowing violet.
“I couldn’t wait to see you again.”
“Aww, Crocky...”
Big turned and hugged Vector, keeping his drink safe in the process. The two looked into each other’s half-lidded eyes. They couldn’t contain their silly grins.
“Where’s your frog friend?”
“He’s back at home. I didn’t want to lose track of him while I was with you.”
“You know I’d help you find him.” Vector ran a finger under his chin. Big’s tail wagged involuntarily from the attention.
“I know... But maybe some us time is better than having you work overtime.”
Vector shrugged and pointed to the drink he’d been curious about. “Whatcha got there?”
“Oh, there’s this new boba place in the food court that Amy told me about. This one is mocha.”
Vector leaned over and took a generous sip. A few of the tapioca balls exploded on his tongue. He licked his lips and groaned happily. “Delicious. Good choice, babe.”
“Y-yes it was...” Big turned his gaze from Vector. The croc turned his head back towards him and held the cat’s free hand.
“So what did you wanna do today?”
“I was thinking we could head to the boardwalk and watch the waves.”
“I’d rather watch you~.”
“Crocky… you always say that!” Big chuckled, causing Vector’s smile to only increase.
He was still figuring out these feelings himself. No one had made him feel so smart and strong and loved before. He chuckled as something came to mind.
“You remember our first date?” Vector asked as they exited the mall and crossed the street to the boardwalk.
“You mean the one where you tried to subtly take me out to dinner after finding my frog again?” Big rolled his eyes.
“It wasn’t subtle and you know it. You don’t do subtlety.” Vector shot back.
“It’s not my fault! How was I supposed to know you were hitting on me?”
“I said it very bluntly on many occasions!”
“Like when?”
“I dunno, maybe me saying ‘I like you please go to dinner with me romantically’ after finding your frog was subtle.” Vector shrugged. “I thought it was pretty direct.”
“Ok ok, I get it.” Big threw away his empty cup and cupped his cheek. “Geez…”
The two made it to the end of the boardwalk. Luckily, no one else was sitting there. The two dangled their legs off the edge and watched the waves crash on the shore.
“You know I really like the water. It’s always changing,” Big started. “No one fishing outing ends like the last one. That’s what makes fishing fun!”
“I hear ya.” Vector draped an arm around Big’s shoulder. “And look what I caught.”
“Oh stop it…”
“No, really. You mean so much to me.” Vector rubbed his cheek into Big’s pecs.
“I know…” Big rubbed Vector’s head and moved to grip his snout gently. “I… I love you.”
“I love you too.”
As the sun began to set on that Valentine’s Day, the two slowly pressed their lips together. Their hands wrapped around each other’s waists and pulled them both closer. A song began playing in Vector’s headphones loud enough for both of them to hear.
Vector began to sing along. “I just wanna see how beautiful you are. You know that I see it. I know you're a star.”
Big picked up where he left off. “Where you go I follow. No matter how far. If life is a movie… Oh, you're the best part.”
They both began to harmonize. “Oh oh oh. You're the best part, oh oh oh. Best part”