"Of course! A sleepover sounds fun!"

In her excitement, Cream didn't know what to put on after Tails called her. Part of her wanted to wear something nice (and maybe just a little revealing), but Knuckles and Sonic would be at his house too and she was far too nervous to show off her body to the fox anyway. He was older than she, and she worried that a shorter dress would only reveal that age difference and make her less attractive.

The rabbit took her time brushing her fur, glancing at the mirror frequently to make sure she looked okay. Even after knowing him for so long, Cream didn't know what he looked for in a girl. Self-consciously, she examined the two parts of her which had grown the most over the years. They were big and bouncy, and soft... She knew her ears turned heads among her fellow hares, but would they make the seventeen-year-old boy interested in his fifteen-year-old friend? Cream cupped her small breasts, wishing they had grown as well. Rouge and Amy were so much bigger...

"Tails will miss you if you stay here all night," said a voice at length, and she squeaked in embarrassment.

"I-I know, mom! I was just wondering if I should put on makeup."

Vanilla smiled warmly, knowing exactly why her daughter had been so concerned with her appearance lately. "You look fine, sweetie."

Cream wished she looked better than fine, but thanked her and left after receiving a "Be careful" and a kiss on the forehead. Tails greeted her with a smile that made her stomach do somersaults when she knocked on his door.

"Hi, Cream. Glad you could make it!" he exclaimed, joy shining in his baby blue eyes.

In the background, Sonic and Knuckles argued loudly—they always seemed to be fighting over something—but she could only focus on Tails. She resisted the urge to giggle at his two namesakes whipping about excitedly behind him. They looked soft, and she wondered if he would think she was weird for wanting to touch them.

"Of course. It's been a while since I've seen you. All of you," she amended clumsily.

"Hey, Cream," Sonic greeted, flashing his patented thumbs-up and deliberately turning away from his rival, who became furious at being ignored. "We're about to watch a movie. Care to join?"

"What are we watching?"

"Either 'Horror Movie 2: This Time, It's Not Horror Movie 1' or 'Super Scary Nightmare Time'," supplied Knuckles. "Rouge gave them to me and said I should watch them. She probably just wanted to get me away from the Master Emerald so she could steal it."

She bit her lip. Though she hated any movie where people were hurt or frightened, she wanted to be invited to these events in the future and for Tails to see her as a woman instead of a scared girl. Sonic beat her to answering, fast as always.

"I say we watch the one with the long title. It sounds more like a comedy than a horror."

She nodded vigorously. Of course Sonic would have an answer. And he was never wrong...right?

"Let's do it," Tails agreed, though to her confusion his voice wavered slightly.

Knuckles set up the movie and glared at something she couldn't see while Sonic dashed to the kitchen and back with everyone's popcorn. To her surprise, when she sat on the end of the couch feeling like an interloper to their traditions, Tails took the seat next to her.

"Why are you shaking, Cream?" he asked, letting her know she was concealing her trepidation poorly. "Do you want a blanket?"

She hoped the white hairs on her cheeks covered her blush as he lay a sheet over both of them. He wasn't the strongest boy—she trumped him when it came to physical power—but his concern and the warmth radiating from his body made her feel a bit safer.

"Thank you, Tails."

She wished she had the courage to touch his honey-colored fur. She felt so close to him, yet so far away. He no longer looked at her, all his attention on the television, and she chastised herself for her silly teenage emotions. Tails was mature while she was still a little kid...

Abruptly the fox shivered, and she wondered why until a gunshot from the flick she'd been half-watching stole her attention. Since parting with Emerl, she'd been terrified of death and explosions, so without thinking she flung herself at the nearest person.

"Ah! Miles!" she screamed, grabbing his arm. No matter what, she knew that he would protect her. Nonetheless, he stiffened. Knuckles didn't react to her outburst, apparently lost in pensive anger, but when Sonic snickered she realized her mistake.

"Miles? Haven't heard that in a while. Better stick with Tails, buddy."

The fox's blush was visible even beneath his fur, and Cream let go, ashamed for having embarrassed him. She was so stupid. For the rest of the night she mostly kept to herself, laughing when the others joked about how cheesy the flick was but secretly terrified. The fox didn't talk much either, increasing her shame.

It ended. The TV clicked off, and the echidna shouted that he had to protect the Master Emerald before running outside. With a chuckle, Sonic said goodnight as well, heading to his room and leaving the other two to linger awkwardly.

"Thank you for asking me to your sleepover. I had a lot of fun," Cream said, looking down.

"No you didn't," Tails replied sadly. "I should have said something, but I didn't notice how uncomfortable you were until the end." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I was scared too, but I didn't say anything because I wanted to look brave. Guns have made me uncomfortable ever since I...shot Cosmo."

That caused her to look up into his eyes. To her astonishment, he smiled; despite how tragically their last adventure ended, he was still the same cheerful boy he had always been.

"If I had paid more attention to you, you would have had more fun. Heh, I should invent something that keeps people from being afraid." She giggled, already feeling the tension between them disappear. "I don't suppose...you want to come over more often?"

"Definitely!" After a pause, she continued. "Sorry for using your name. I think it's cute, so I call you that in my head."

She froze at what she had admitted, but his laugh put her at ease. He scratched his muzzle nervously.

"That's okay. I don't mind as long as it's not in front of the others."

"So I can call you that when we're alone?" she breathed.

"Yeah," he said shyly. "When it's just the two of us..."

One of his tails wrapped around her waist and gently pulled her toward him. With a gasp, she leaned against him, finally feeling him. Her heart beat more quickly when he put his arm around her shoulders as well.

"Miles..."

Shorter than him, she rubbed her muzzle against his shoulder affectionately. His fur was just as soft as she'd hoped. She melted when he responded by petting her left ear, wondering if he been curious about her fur as well. Despite her terror and embarrassment just moments ago, this was turning out to be one of the most special nights of her life.

He stopped her movement by cupping her chin and making her look at him, their faces only inches apart. "What's wrong?" Did he not like her touching him?

His eyes darted to everything but her. "Cream…For a long time…I really…"

He looked more nervous than she had ever seen him, and she rushed to fix it, putting a hand on his chest; now that she'd finally touched him, she couldn't get enough contact. "It's okay. Anything you want to say, you can say to me. I'd never be mad at you."

He trembled, and just when she was about to say something more, he bent down and brought his face toward hers. Her eyes widened as their lips touched.

Blizzaga Saga: As you might have guessed, I wrote this entirely for the sake of a boob joke. You have to go all out for immature humor like that.