NOTE: Keep in mind that I'm still a Sepper shipper, I'm experimenting here a little with Vinnie X Sunil. I thought the idea of those two being trapped in a meat locker and Vinnie seeking out Sunil's body heat and warmth to survive would be a good idea for a quick, cute Vinnil fic. Feel free to read and review.

Cold. Freezing ice cold. The gecko could feel the chill from inside the meat locker. Vinnie looked over to Sunil who was huddled in the corner with icy tears rolling slowly down his face.

"We're gonna d-d-d-die like this, Vinnie!" The blue mongoose sobbed as he hugged himself.

Vinnie shook his head, "No way, bro. I won't let us. There's gotta be a way to open this door!"

Sunil whimpered softly, "P-please try to hurry! My tail i-is going numb!"

Vinnie rolled his eyes, "Why don't you just use your magic to poof us out of here?"

Sunil whimpered a little, "B-b-because I can't concentrate u-under all this s-s-stress and you'll be the f-f-first to d-die because you're a c-cold blooded r-r-reptile!"

Vinnie rolled his eyes, "Oh, here we go with the ethnic slurs!"

Sunil whimpered as a few tears leaked from his golden eyes, "B-but it's true. I-I can take the cold l-l-longer than you c-can." The mongoose them broke down into a fit of sobs.

Vinnie's heart broke as he saw Sunil cry. The gecko approached the mongoose and wrapped his arms around him in a comforting hug, "Come on now, don't cry, bro. I'm sorry."

"Vinnie..." Sunil spoke softly as the gecko tenderly wiped the tears from the mongoose's face.

"Yes?" Vinnie asked, getting closer to Sunil.

"Sorry for p-p-pointing out th-the obvious." Sunil whimpered.

Vinnie continued to brush Sunil's tears away, "Come on now, Sunil. You're the smart one between the two of us, it's your nature to point out things like that. Don't beat yourself up, bro."

Sunil blinked a few times before sniffling and rubbing his eyes, "All right."

The mongoose wrapped his arms around the gecko and pulled him in close. Vinnie snuggled deep into Sunil's soft blue fur for warmth. He could feel his body heat rise already in the hug of his mongoose friend, protecting him from the unforgiving cold. Sunil hugged Vinnie tight as if clinging on to him for dear life. He had stopped crying because he knew he was the eye of the hurricane and his gecko friend was safe in his cloak of mammalian warmth.

Vinnie relaxed in Sunil's lap and opened his eyes to see his mongoose buddy smiling down at him, "Sunil?"

"What?" Sunil replied softly, his golden gaze making the reptile feel warmer and safer than ever.

"I think I lov-" Vinnie's sentence was cut short by Blythe swinging the meat locker door open. The green gecko and blue mongoose were blushing like crazy now.

"What happened? How did you guys get locked in here?" Blythe asked the two.

"Just how long were we locked in there?" Sunil asked frantically.

"Oh, only about 5 minutes." Pepper's voice called out. The skunk came out from around the corner and grinned at the two.

Vinnie glared at Pepper, "So, you were the one locked us in here! Why did you do it, Pepper!?"

"I wanted to see how you guys would react. I watched the entire thing on the security camera." Pepper snickered, "I especially loved the part where you sat in Sunil's lap for warmth."

Sunil rolled his eyes, "Well, this is the last time I ever go to this supermarket. It was so cold in there, I thought my tail would freeze off!"

Pepper rolled her eyes a little, "The security of this place is so lax, they let exotic animals roam about in it."

Blythe giggled a bit, "Looks like we've had enough excitement for one day. Come on, everyone. Let's go back to the pet shop."

As they were at the checkout stand, Sunil turned to Vinnie, "What was it you were going to say to me back there?"

Vinnie gave a nervous chuckle, "That...I love your fur. It's so gentle and baby-soft. What kind of shampoo do you use?"

Sunil blinked a few times, "I don't remember the brand name my owner uses on me but it's freesia-scented in case you are curious."

Vinnie smiled, "That's why you smell so nice, then."

Sunil blushed as he gave Vinnie a weird look but then he just shrugged and smiled. And with that, Blythe paid for the groceries and the three exited the store. It was only a few blocks away and Pepper just wouldn't stop giggling like a schoolgirl over Sunil and Vinnie's hug.

On the way back to the pet shop, Vinnie turned to Sunil and whispered to himself, "So warm and soft and cute."

"What was that?" Sunil asked, turning to face the gecko.

"N-nothing!" Vinnie shouted, "I was just uh...singing to myself. That's it."

Once again, Sunil gave a shrug, "Reptiles. Go fig."

The end.