*Late Summer/Early Fall- 9 years ago

Summer was nearing the end and while the temperature readings were technically down, it sure didn’t feel like it. Having an ice cream bar, a short red wolf sat by the window as he cooled off and enjoyed the sweet taste. He might have normally been training in self defense or running around with Zero, but he seemed to be out more as of late. Gadget didn’t know why, and when he asked about it, the only answer received was that the he felt cooped up. The wolf wasn’t sure if that was completely it, like, he felt like the other was hiding something, but he didn’t question it. He trusted Zero, so he had no reason to doubt him. Maybe he honestly was feeling cooped up and just really needed to get out more.

Shrugging, he turned the page in his book. He was almost to the end and immediately became engrossed in it, forgetting his previous thoughts. Focus engaged on the current page made him completely unaware of his surroundings.

“Hey!”

Jumping, the wolf dropped his book and fell backwards. His reaction causing a string of laughs. Sitting up again, Gadget saw Zero leaning against the window seal of the open window to the room, holding an amused smirk.

“Scaredy wolf.” He chuckled, “I never get tired of that.”

Gadget stuck out his tongue in response, causing a laugh to escape Zero once more before he leaned down and licked the wolf’s tongue with his own. Tan cheeks darkened, matching his red fur.

“You taste good.”

Grinning, Gadget shot back, “You taste better.”

White muzzle turning a bright pink, they both knew the wolf won that round as he hadn’t expected a quick comeback like that. “Yeah, whatever.”

Gadget giggled, “How was your day?”

“Good,” The jackal responded before hopping inside and sitting down next to the other teen. A look of nervousness grew on Zero’s face which hadn’t been missed. “So, um, do you have any plans tomorrow?”

“Do I ever have plans outside of being here or hanging out with you?”

“I’m serious!”

“Sorry! I was just teasing,” Gadget smiled while he raised his hands in surrender, “No, I don’t.”

“Good. Um, would you go somewhere with me tomorrow?”

“Sure.” Zero’s face brightened at Gadget’s answer. “Where are we going?”

“That’s a secret. But, you should wear comfortable clothes and shoes.”

?

“Trust me.”

Nodding, Gadget replied, “I do.” And kissed Zero on the cheek.

———

“Man today is warm,” Gadget commented as the two were walking down the street to head to, well, he had no idea.

Wiping sweat off his brow, Zero spoke, “Yeah, this must be what bread feels like in a toaster.”

“Or pizza in an oven.”

“Or fries in a fryer.”

The two went on like that for awhile until finally making it to a destination.

“A bus stop?” The wolf questioned in surprise, “Are we going across town?”

“Shush,” Zero commanded, “You’ll see.”

“But I don’t have any money for the bus fare.”

“I got it covered.”

“What? Where did you get money?”

The jackal glared a bit, “Would you stop asking questions? I’ll explain later but just enjoy the surprise for now.”

“...Okay.”

Soon after, the bus approached. Both Mobians got on and the jackal took a wallet out of his pocket before paying the fare for the two of them. Once paid, Zero led the way to the back of the bus. Only a few others were there in various seats, but somehow the back had been completely empty so they took advantage of it and went into a back corner where they wouldn’t be disturbed.

“Soooo,” Gadget drew out sweetly, trying his best to look adorable with his round eyes and innocent aura.

Smirking, Zero cut him off, “I’m still not telling. Doesn’t matter how cute you are.”

“Ahhh…”

Still holding a superior grin, Zero leaned close to Gadget’s ear and whispered, “Nice try though.” 

He then gave an experimental lick, causing the wolf to shiver in pleasure.

“If we weren’t in public, I’d be doing more to you.”

It was now Gadget’s turn to hold a seductive look as he quietly answered back, “Not if I did something first.”

“Oh yeah?”

Swiftly and out of sight to the public eye, he cocked his head enough to lean into Zero’s neck and gave a quick but gentle nibble.

“H-hey!”

“Shhh…” Gadget put a gloved finger up to those white lips, “Quiet, unless you want to get caught.”

White muzzle glowed a bright red. Looking around, everyone was facing forward, not paying any mind to what was happening in the back. The seats were tall enough as well to hide the two younger Mobians.

“But, I guess I’ll behave for now,” he pulled away, causing Zero to quietly whimper from the missed attention, “We’ll continue this later.”

“I’d like that.” Zero grinned.

———

An hour passed. Gadget fell asleep about five minutes after the two had teased/flirted and his head leaned on Zero’s shoulder. A sense of happiness and peace filled the jackal as he wrapped an arm around the wolf’s shoulders and watched the scenery quickly pass by.

The ride was peaceful. Zero never knew this kind of thing was possible. Growing up, he was always taught to be on the defense, never to get too close, or trust anyone outside of his pack. But, if he had listened to that, then he wouldn’t be here, with Gadget. 

The thought of having to go back to his pack weighed down on his chest. Leaving Gadget brought a burden onto him that he just couldn’t bare. Zero wanted to stay with Gadget.

He loved him.

Though those were deep words with a lot of weight and meaning to them, and the two had confessed these words before, they were still the perfect ones to use; the ones that made the most sense. Zero loved Gadget in a way he’d never loved anyone before. And it was hard to imagine ever loving someone else the same way.

They were both considered young, but that didn’t change what Zero felt. He didn’t care what anyone else would think. The only thing, the only one, he did care for and love, was the warm, soft, bright red furred wolf that slept against him. 

Thoughts were interrupted as he could see their destination coming into view. As much as Zero didn’t want to wake the other up, because he looked so cute and peaceful, the jackal whispered sweetly to his loved one.

“Gadget, time to wake up sleepyhead.”

“Hm?” He grunted, yawning and slowly opening his gold eyes, “Zero?”

“You fell asleep.” Zero smiled, “I had a great time watching you. I almost didn’t wake you up.”

Yawning again, Gadget moved his arms above his head as he stretched and popped his spine, earning a sigh of relief. Giving a goofy grin, Gadget snuggled his head into the crook of Zero’s neck.

“Thanks for letting me sleep.”

“Sure,” Zero responded before positioning the other boy to sit upright, “But no more sleeping!”

“Ahh, you saw right through me.”

“It’s pretty easy to.” Gadget stuck out his tongue, making the jackal chuckle, “We’re almost there.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yeah, look outside.”

Turning away from Zero, Gadget looked out the window as he suggested and saw a huge surprise.

“An amusement park?”

Ebony arms wrapped around a thin red waist, speaking softly in his ear, “Surprise Gadget.”

He turned back to the jackal, “How did you...?”

“Next stop, Gallan’s Amusement Park.” The bus driver announced, “We will be stopping in a few minutes. Prepare yourself if this is your stop. I repeat, next stop is Gallan’s Amusement Park.”

A surprised expression filled the wolf’s face at the whole ordeal; his shock causing Zero to laugh. “You’re so adorable!”

“B-but… I don’t have any money to go.”

“Well duh. That’s why I’m paying for it stupid.”

“But where did you get money?”

Sighing, Zero spoke, “You won’t feel better until I tell you, huh?”

“Of course I want to know!” The wolf insisted.

“You know all the times I’ve been out for the past month or so?” Gadget nodded, “I got a part time job.”

“Huh???”

“Yep! Down at the docks.”

“Aren’t we too young to work?”

“In most cases, yes. But some places will give easy work or small tasks to anyone under sixteen.”

“How did you…?”

“Shush!” A gloved digit touched the other’s lips, “I answered enough questions. Now be quiet and enjoy the day.”

White muzzle darkened, “I worked hard so I could take you out.”

That silenced any more questions the wolf had. Instead, he smiled widely and said, “Thank you Zero.”

“...You’re welcome.” He responded, embarrassment clear in his tone, which only made Gadget smile all the more.

———-

“Man, this place is huge,” Zero remarked as he glanced around the entrance. The pair had just entered the park. Map in hand, Gadget read through the different attractions after finding out exactly where they were.

“It looks like we’re here,” the one in glasses spoke up, catching the attention of the other male, who now came over to view the map as well, “It looks like some carnival games are to the left while some roller coasters are close by over to the right. Anything in particular you want to do?”

“I dunno,” the jackal shrugged, “I’ve never been to an amusement park.”

Stunned, Gadget replied, “Really?!”

“Yeah, never been. Not something that jackals really do.”

“That’s crazy. It’s hard to imagine.”

Again, he shrugged his shoulders, “Have you been before?”

“Yep, just once though. It was a few years back.”

“Then you lead. You have a better idea about this than I do.”

“But I’ve been here. I want you to pick stuff too.”

Letting out a huff, Zero’s hand patted Gadget on the head, “Alright, I’ll pick something, but later. Introduce me to some rides or something first so I can get an idea of this whole amusement park thing.”

Grinning, he nodded, “Okay!”

They walked over towards the right. Gadget wasn’t sure, but he had a feeling Zero would like the roller coasters. How right he had been. Though standing in line took forever, they got on an ride called The Super Flying Dog. With many twists and turns in a speeding roller coaster car, the two were giggling madly from the fun and joy of it throughout the whole thing. It was now the jackal’s mission to ride as many roller coasters as possible, so the trial began. 

Three rides later, as the insane amount of Mobians there that day made it difficult to ride continuously due to the long lines, the boys felt hunger rumble in their stomachs and knew it was time to get their grub on. They now sat in a small, congested pizza parlor filled with people. The two were lucky to nab a booth in the back corner by a window. A sigh of relief left the jackal before taking a sip of his soda.

“I never thought this place would be so packed.”

“Me neither,” Gadget agreed, “I guess it’s because it’s summer, so all the kids are out of school. It’s easier for families to take vacations and fun days now.”

“Still sucks.”

“I’m having a great time!” the wolf grinned happily.

White cheeks tinted pink, “...Me too.”

“Order 327! Your food is ready! I repeat, Order 327!”

“That’s us,” Zero stood, “I’ll go get it. Hold our table.”

“You got it!”

He stepped away to cross the very crowded place. Yellow eyes watched a moment as Zero glared left and right in displeasure from the tight squeezes he had to make, causing Gadget to chuckle in response. It was funny to see him get so flustered. He tried so hard not to get mad, but it was as clear as day.

Gadget then turned away to look out the window. Families, friends, and lovers walked all through the park. Even though the window was small, it still showed him so much. It brought back memories of his parents. They came to this very same park three years back. It was the best time. But, this was great too. Nothing could replace his parents, that much Gadget knew, but that didn’t mean that friends weren’t good to have. And then there was Zero. Zero was friend, but, he was more than that.

Would they always be together? Zero mentioned something about having to go back during the winter, but he also promised to return to him. Gadget trusted him, but he just wondered, when would he come back? When exactly was he leaving in the winter, and when exactly would he return to him? What if circumstances changed and they couldn’t find each other?... No, Gadget trusted Zero, and he had to keep trusting him, and he did.

“Hey doofus,” a sarcastic voice broke his thoughts as he turned to find Zero placing the tray of pizza between them. “Food’s here. Eat up.”

“Okay!”

An eating frenzy began where how the food was eaten, and how quickly too, just seemed unnatural. However, when hunger hits two growing teens, there’s no limits, and the food was gone in the blink of an eye. It was most likely the two barely tasted the pizza for how fast it had been consumed.

“I’m stuffed!” Gadget gave a silly smile as he laid his head on the table.

“Get up,” Zero gave a light kick underneath the table, causing the other to jerk up. “We still have half the day left.”

“We sure do!” he chirped excitedly, “Do you want to go play games next?”

“Games?”

“Yeah, since we just ate, it’s probably better to wait half an hour to an hour before getting back on a roller coaster. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not lose the lunch I just ate.”

“It might be entertaining to watch,” the jackal grinned mischievously, “Especially all the people screaming about how puke landed on them.”

“You’re disgusting.”

“Meh,” he shrugged, though smirking from the look of disdain on the wolf’s muzzle.

“How about I’d rather not throw up today.”

“Fair enough,” he laughed, “Let’s go.”

Both stood up from the booth and walked outside into the blazing heat. To be honest, it felt better outside than inside the parlor just because it wasn’t so packed and there was a slight breeze, even if warm. Gadget reached out and took Zero’s hand, afraid they’d get separated if they didn’t. A small squeeze was given to let the wolf know they were fine and the two ventured forth into the theme park for a continued day of fun and adventure.