Nickel and Zero were visiting a small-time vendor for a cheap refreshment on a particularly agreeable day. The jackal took a dark-coloured drink, the feline a red snow cone.

"Why are you doing that?" Zero asked Nickel, seeing him repeatedly stab into the cup with his straw.

Nickel looked at Zero funny. "'ve you never seen someone eat a snow cone like this? Back home this is how I grew up eating these."

"I've only really seen them served with a spoon," Zero justified, opening the bottle and taking a swig. "I often forget you aren't from here, you know."

"Eh, it's fine. I'm actually kinda used to it." Nickel spied a bench nearby and headed for it, Zero following.

Sitting on opposite sides, the pair made little conversation as the day wasn't very eventful - until Nickel noticed a small party of girls heading toward them: two wolves, one marigold and one a dull cyan, and one cat, silvery in colour.

On habit he checked to see if he knew any of them; he didn't. He hoped that he wouldn't be made to entertain any gestures of intent, as was what tended to happen.

"Did one of them catch your eye, Nickel?" The cat turned back to the canid with a well-practised deadpan face. Zero laughed. "You were staring at them for a while."

"I just wanted to see if I knew any of them." Nickel sighed through his nose. "Don't start. I already have Lily doing that at every opportunity, I don't need you too."

"I thought you advised me to be like Lily."

"In that - " Nickel made a grumbling sound. "Never mind." Zero smirked.

After a bit of silence, Zero spoke again. "How old are you, again?"

"Fourteen," Nickel replied as he continued to eat his snow cone. "Why?"

"I always forget that when I hear about how many girls like you." Nickel rolled his eyes. "You'd think you'd have a girlfriend by now."

"Look, just because I've built the reputation of a ladykiller doesn't mean I have to have a girlfriend, okay? Besides - I'd be willing to bet that you're not unpopular y'self."

There wasn't time for Zero to form an answer; that group that they'd forgotten about happened upon them. Out of the three of them, all of them seemed to be extremely interested in the black-and-white jackal with complete heterochromia.

"Hey," the cat purred, and immediately Nickel knew where this was going. "What's a handsome devil like you doing today?"

Zero coloured a little. "Well, I was just talking to my friend over there." He gestured toward Nickel, who waved tentatively, trying not to draw too much attention to himself. They waved back, but didn't pay much attention otherwise.

"What's your name?" the cyan wolf asked him.

The jackal hesitated. "Zero."

"Nice name," the wolf said.

"Nice voice," her marigold compatriot commented, and Nickel had to smile at that one as Zero turned pinker. The cat had found out some time ago that Zero's tone of voice was very much adored by some people, being called 'soothing' or 'charming'. It was a strange one, given he used to be a villain and everyone used to fear hearing it. Maybe it was a good thing that during his villainous days, his voice was distorted enough so that people didn't make the connection straight away.

While Zero entertained the three, a fourth girl arrived and sat beside Nickel. "Hi, Nickel," she greeted.

"Oh. Hey, Topaz," Nickel answered, keeping his voice down. He motioned with his head toward the scene opposite him on the bench. "D'you know them?"

Topaz shook her head no. "Why are they hounding Zero like that?"

"Take a guess." The vermilion feline looked back at the scene, where Zero was having his long white hair petted and his face bombarded with blush as the girls continued to fawn over him. He mouthed "Help me", which the two cats duly ignored.

"Oh, alright. Okay." Topaz was audibly smiling. "Well, to be honest, I can't really blame them. He's like you."

"What does that mean?" Nickel questioned, not sure how to take that statement.

"You're both good-looking, you both have nice voices and long hair, you both can't take compliments..." Nickel gave a droll smile, eyeing her wryly. Topaz laughed. "You know, that kind of stuff."

"Ah. I see." Nickel turned his attention to his melting snow cone - it was melted enough that punching through the ice with his straw was no longer necessary.

"Are you eating a snow cone with a straw?" Topaz asked.

"Certainly looks that way, doesn't it?" he answered cheekily, before continuing, "It's how I grew up eating them. Stop looking at me."

Eventually, both felines decided it was time that their jackal friend was freed from his prison - which, Nickel thought to himself, held him for far longer than he thought it would have. Under the guise of Zero's sister, which somehow they bought (never mind Mobian genetics), Topaz shooed the three girls away.

"Thank you, Topaz," Zero stated in a tone that didn't lead you to believe he was very happy. "Where was that five minutes ago?"

"Aw, I thought it was cute," the ebony cat voiced.

"Not you, Topaz. Him."

Nickel shrugged. "I did say you wouldn't be unpopular with the women, didn't I? I was just showin' ya."

"Couldn't you have done it in a less embarrassing fashion?" Zero groaned.

"Oh, sure. But that way came quicker, so..." Nickel trailed off, eating more of his refreshment.

"Come on, Zero. Doesn't it at least make you feel good, knowing that people like you?" Topaz asked.

The ex-villain hesitated. "I guess," he eventually conceded. "It's just weird to me. It's never happened before."

"You weren't out and about before," the vermilion cat inputted.

"And now I am. Who's that thanks to?" the black-and-white jackal rebutted instantly.

"Hmm, I wonder," Nickel came back just as fast.

Before he or Zero could say anything else, Topaz interrupted them. "Boys, calm down. Let's talk about something else."

"Hey, he's the boy here," Zero said. "I'm eighteen and he's fourteen. Four years younger than me."

That gave Topaz pause. "Wait: you're four years apart from each other? I thought you'd both be around the same age, maybe off by, like, a few months." She turned from Zero to Nickel. "I thought you'd be older, too. You're - when's your birthday?"

Nickel told her.

"You're younger than me! What?!"

"You're fourteen, too?" Nickel asked. Topaz confirmed with a nod. "Wow."

"I hate to interrupt, but that means you two have to listen to what I say from now on." Both felines looked at the canid with the type of expression that screamed "Really?". Zero grinned. "What? As the adult of the group..."

As the conversation rolled on, Nickel kept smiling at the scene that had taken place earlier. It was good that Zero was getting some attention - attention he probably didn't have at any point previously - never mind that that attention came at the expense of his embarrassment. But at least now Zero wouldn't be so quick to label Nickel as the ladykiller of the two of them.