(Credit for the cover picture goes to torkiedegraw, and credit for the prompt goes to Crystal Persian).

Mike was rushing through the house, making sure it was spotless and everything was in order.

"Mike, you're going to wear tracks in my wood floor if you keep this up!" his mother said as he passed her again in the living room.

"Sorry Mom, I just want everything to be perfect for when Zoey comes over."

"She's been here before, this isn't your first date."

"Is it bad that I want the house to look nice for my girlfriend?"

"That's what your father did. He always had the house nice and clean when I came over, and I was always impressed. But then the day after we got married he dropped the façade and started living like a pig."

"It's true Mike, I had to trick your mother into marrying me. But I was not a pig."

"I'm not trying to trick Zoey."

"You're not a pig, unlike some people," she said as she tossed a pillow at her husband's head.

"Leaving my dirty socks on the floor does not constitute pig-like behavior. So what's the plan again, son? What are you and Zoey doing for your date?" asked his father.

"Well, Zoey said she didn't feel like going out for anything today, and it's snowing outside, so I was thinking we could go sledding, and then watch a movie or something. Does that sound boring?"

"Sounds like fun to me. Make some hot chocolate to make it cozy," his mother suggested.

"And when is sledding ever boring?" asked his father.

"And don't worry, we'll be long gone before she gets here. We'll spend the whole day out on the town."

"Thanks. I mean, it's not that we don't enjoy your company…"

"Mike, we've been your age, you don't have to explain anything to us. But next time I expect to spend some time with Zoey too. You can't keep her all to yourself forever. I want to get to know my future daughter-in-law, make sure she's good enough for my son."

"Mom!" said Mike in embarrassment. "We're not… I mean I would love it if… but we're not…"

"Oops, I meant my son's girlfriend, slip of the tongue."

Mike's cellphone rang and he was glad to have a distraction from his embarrassment. His parents winked at each other when he wasn't looking.

The ringtone playing was one of Zoey's favorite songs, so he knew it was her.

"Hey Zoey!"

"Hey Mike," she greeted him. She didn't sound very enthusiastic, like she normally did when one of them was coming over. "Listen, I can't come over today."

Mike felt his heart sink. He had really been looking forward to this day. Between her college classes and his acting roles at the theater, they didn't get to see each other as often as they would like. He made himself not sound disappointed and asked, "Why not?"

"It's a blizzard over here, I can't drive through all this snow. I'm sorry Mike."

"No, no it's cool. I don't want you driving in bad weather. We'll plan for another day."

"Thanks for understanding. See you later."

"See you," he said as he hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I know how much you were looking forward to seeing her today," said his mother. "If you want, we can stay home today."

"No, you guys go have fun, don't cancel your plans on my account. I'm eighteen, I can take care of myself."

"Well, if you're sure, then we'll see you later, okay?"

"See ya, sport."

"Bye guys," said Mike as they left. He heard them drive off in the car.

He sat down on the couch and started flipping through channels on the TV. He hated being by himself, and now he was going to be all alone all day. There was nothing good to watch on TV, but he kept channel surfing anyway. He could play his videogames or practice his part in the play he was in, but none of those things appealed to him. They would have on any other day, but he had been so excited to see Zoey that everything else paled in comparison.

He didn't try to stop his other personalities when they came out. Chester didn't know how to work the TV remote, so he kept pushing buttons until he messed it up so badly all he was getting was static. He yelled at the TV to turn itself off, and when it didn't, he kicked it and hurt his foot.

He sat back on the couch and managed to fall asleep despite the loud static. He didn't wake up until he felt someone put their arms around him from behind.

"Surprise!"

He screamed and jumped. "What do you think you're doing!"

Zoey screamed right along with him in shock and embarrassment. She let go and got as far from him as possible as her whole face went scarlet. "Chester, it's me, Zoey! Don't panic!"

"You keep your hands off me, vixen!"

"I'm sorry! Chester, I am so sorry! I thought you were Mike!"

"Do I look like Mike to you?"

"Kinda! I was trying to surprise him. This is what I get for trying to be cute and sneak up on him. Chester, will you let Mike out so I can try again?"

"I can call the police! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"I don't think you really need to worry about heart attacks, Chester. Please just calm down and let Mike out."

"Anything to get me out of here, you wild woman!"

Chester let Mike back out and his eyes widened when he saw her. She was in a heavy winter coat and wearing gloves and a winter hat. He thought she looked adorable.

"Zoey, I thought you said you couldn't come over. Not that I'm complaining."

"I was trying to sneak up on you and surprise you, but that went horribly wrong. I brought this on myself, really."

"What happened?"

"Chester doesn't like surprises. Let's just leave it at that."

Mike picked her up in a hug. "I'm so glad you're here! And yeah, Chester hates being surprised. I don't mind, though, I love surprises."

Zoey laughed and forgot her embarrassment. She hugged him back and said, "I'll think twice before sneaking up on you from now on. But it's so good to see you, finals have been murder."

"The semester's almost over, you're almost there."

"How has acting been?"

"You'll never believe this, but I got the role of Hamlet in the next play! I never thought I'd get such a big role, but they loved my audition! I mean, I'll have an understudy just in case it doesn't work out, but I never thought they'd even consider me."

"Mike, that's wonderful! Make sure you get me a ticket for a front row seat, this is one show I will not miss. I've never been much of a Shakespeare fan, but something tells me I'm going to be soon."

"Now that you're here, what do you want to do? Are you sure you don't want to go out to eat or to the mall or to a movie or something?"

"No, I just feel like staying around the house today."

"This isn't because of what happened last time, is it? You're not still mad, are you?"

"No, this has nothing to do with that, and I wasn't mad at you. I would have been mad at you if you had gone along with it. That waitress was being completely rude and inappropriate, flirting with you the entire time when it was obvious we were together."

"If I had noticed I would have said something, I swear. I didn't even realize she was hitting on me until she left her number on the bill. I don't even know why she was flirting with me, it made no sense."

"Mike, I know you're not aware of this, but you're really hot, and I'm not the only one who thinks so. You're a catch, and I'm a lucky girl. At least I won't ever have to worry about you going off with someone else, since you're completely oblivious to even the wildest attempts at seduction. I don't know how you didn't pick up on it when she had her painted fingernails all over you."

Zoey wasn't the jealous type, but she didn't like it when other girls tried to move in on Mike, especially since Anne Maria called weekly to see if Vito was home. But maybe it would make Mike finally realize how attractive he was, since he seemed blind to it.

"I couldn't notice anyone else, not with you sitting across from me. You're so beautiful I can't look away." He said as he looked away shyly. He had trouble meeting her eyes whenever he talked about how pretty she was out of embarrassment.

Zoey put her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. "Like I said, I'm a lucky girl."

"So, what do you want to do? We can do anything you want."

"Let's go play in the snow! I haven't really played in the snow since I was a kid because I had no one to play with, but now that I've got you…I mean, unless you think playing in the snow is too childish…"

"I love playing in the snow! Come on, we'll go sledding and make a snowman!"

Mike got dressed up warm and then they both went outside. They started out by making a snowman in the front yard. Zoey collected stones for its eyes and mouth while Mike ran back inside to get a carrot nose and a scarf and santa hat.

Once it was complete, Zoey stood admiring their work. "I think it's the most handsome snowman I've ever seen."

She felt something cold and wet hit the back of her head. She whirled around and saw Mike duck behind a bush.

"Hey, what was that for?"

"That's for tricking me earlier!"

"You want to battle, Mike? I'll give you a war," she said as she scooped up a handful of snow and shaped it into a snowball.

She ran to where he was hiding and threw the snowball at him. He dodged just in time and it went sailing past his head.

Zoey and Mike went to their battle stations and piled up snowballs. Mike stayed behind his bush and Zoey hid behind a tree. Snowballs flew back and forth; Mike got another hit on her chest, but she got him in the face.

They got tired of throwing the snowballs, and so they chased each other with snow instead. Mike dumped snow on her, and she leapt on his back and tackled him into the snow. They could barely breathe from laughing so much.

Mike kissed her, but then gasped and quickly pulled back. This was the first time he had kissed her, instead of her kissing him. He hadn't meant for it to happen, but he got caught up in the heat of the moment and forgot himself. He looked to see what she would do, half-expecting her to look disgusted.

"Finally!" she said with a giggle. "I've been waiting for you to get brazen enough to kiss me since the day we met."

Still feeling "brazen" he went in for another kiss, and this one lasted a lot longer than the first. She kissed him back and they became entwined in each other's arms.

Despite the warmth of the kisses, it was too cold to lie in the snow forever. They had to get up, and Zoey asked, "Do you have a sled?"

"You know I do. Come on, it's in the garage, and there's a hill nearby that's perfect for sledding."

His sled was wooden and painted green, and big enough for two. They carried it up to the top of the hill. Mike got in front, and Zoey held onto him around the middle.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Go!" she answered.

He shoved off, and they went flying down the hill. They crashed into a snow bank and were thrown from the sled, but neither of them were hurt and they went down the hill again, this time with Zoey in front.

They sled down that hill for hours, until they were both freezing and too tired to go anymore. They walked back to his house and changed out of their wet clothes and into dry ones. Mike made them hot chocolate while Zoey found a blanket and picked out a movie. She turned off the lights and lit a few scented candles and set them on the coffee table.

Mike sat down on the couch beside her and she draped the blanket over their shoulders. He put his arm around her and held her close as he handed her a mug. Zoey rested her head on Mike's shoulder as the movie started playing, and they both took a sip of hot chocolate.

"I didn't know you liked superhero movies," Mike commented.

"Only DC superheroes, but you didn't have any Batman or Superman movies, so I had to settle for Thor."

"Oh come on, Marvel heroes are way cooler than DC heroes. I mean, you've got Spiderman, the X-men, the Avengers, and more."

"Batman could save the day faster than any of them, and he doesn't even have super powers."

They kept bickering playfully through the movie about the pros and cons of their favorite heroes.

"I just realized this is our first fight, and it's about superheroes," said Mike.

"If the worst thing we have to fight about his superheroes, I think we're all right."

"I think we need to agree to disagree, the movie's a quarter of the way over and we haven't heard a word that's been said. There's no way you'll like it if you have no idea what's going on."

"Yes, let's agree to disagree. But I am curious about your favorite heroes. Who's your favorite Avenger?"

"I like the Hulk, I kind of relate to him."

"I figured it would be Black Widow, I don't think there's a guy alive who doesn't have a crush on her."

"I don't think there's a girl alive who doesn't have a crush on Loki. I guess it's because he's the villain and a bad boy."

"He is a cool villain, but I'm not really into bad boys. I prefer nice boys," said Zoey as she snuggled in closer to him. "I do hope that Thor and Loki make amends someday, they were brothers and best friends, or so I've heard."

"I hope so too, but I can't really see it happening, there's too much damage done. But I would like to see them forgive each other one day."

They asked each other questions about their favorite superheroes and supervillains throughout the rest of the movie. Zoey paid attention to the last half of it, and so she had a pretty good idea of what it was about. It was better than she had expected, she had to admit.

When it was over, Zoey said, "Next time I'm bringing over The Dark Knight. I'm going to culture you, mister."

"Oh, I need culture, do I?" asked Mike as he started tickling her sides.

"Mike, stop it!" she said amidst a fit of giggles. She started tickling him back, and found he was even more ticklish than her. Once she started tickling his stomach, he was powerless to fight back.

After they stopped tickling each other, they just sat there for a while, catching their breath and thinking.

"Someday, I'm going to graduate college and become a teacher," said Zoey. "No more classes or exams, just teaching kids. College feels like it will never end."

"Maybe someday I'll get a job at a radio or TV studio. I think I would still like to do theater on the side, but wouldn't it be great if I became a voice actor one day?"

"But whatever happens, we'll always be together," said Zoey.

"You sure you want to be stuck with me forever?" he asked, half-kidding, half-serious.

"Wouldn't have nothing if I didn't have you."

Mike smiled and nuzzled his face in her hair. This was one of those moments Mike wished he could grab hold of and keep forever. What he wouldn't give for it to never end.

Mike was giving his soliloquy as Hamlet on the stage. Everyone watched in awe as he spoke with such emotion and power. Up there, he seemed confident and fully sure of himself. He took the words on the paper and brought them to life. He finished the soliloquy and stepped off the stage.

The director came over to him and said, "That was amazing, Mike. You're one of the best actors we've got. You know, when we first met, you were so shy and unsure of yourself that I didn't see how you could play a major part in the play. But seeing you up there, the way you deliver your lines, it moves me to tears. I swear it's like you become a completely different person on stage."

"I can see why you might think that, but no, it's just me up there. But thanks, I appreciate it."

They practiced a few more scenes and he went through his soliloquy again, and then practice was over for the day.

Mike took out his cellphone and dialed Zoey's number.

"Hello?" she said when she picked up. Mike noticed she sounded off, not like herself.

"Hey Zoey, you feeling all right?"

"No, I caught the flu," she said in a raspy voice. "I feel like a wet noodle in a blender. I had to miss class today, every time I try to stand the world starts spinning."

"That's awful! Are your parents there?"

"No, they're at work."

"Wait right there, I'm coming over."

"No Mike, you don't have to-"

"I know I don't have to, but I want to. I'll be there soon."

He hung up before she could protest anymore. He went by the store and picked up everything he would need to help her, and then he drove straight to her house.

He knocked on the door, then remembered that she couldn't get up. He went inside and started cooking her some chicken noodle soup. While it was cooking, he went into her room to check on her. She was sprawled face-down on the bed in her pajamas.

"Zoey?" said Mike as he came into the room. She groaned in response and rolled over to see him.

"Wow, you look as bad as you sounded on the phone. No offense."

"I feel worse than both combined."

"Are you cold? Do you need another blanket?"

"I'm fine." Right as she said it, she sneezed and shivered. Mike found another blanket in her closet and then went to the bathroom to look for a thermometer.

"Put this under you arm." She put the thermometer under her arm, and he draped the blanket over her. He felt her forehead and said, "I don't even think I need a thermometer, you're burning up."

The thermometer beeped and he took it out to read it. "101 degrees."

He went back to check the soup. He put it in a bowl and brought it to her.

"Can you sit up?" he asked.

He propped a pillow behind her and helped her sit up. She went into a coughing fit, and it worried him. He hoped it was just the flu, and not something worse.

He fed her a spoonful of soup, and she said, "Mike, you really don't have to do this. I don't want you to get sick, too."

"Don't worry about me, I've already had the flu this year. I get it almost every year, even with a flu shot."

"Why's that?" she asked as he fed her another bite.

"Nothing will ever make Vito put a shirt on, not even below zero temperatures."

"Oh, I see. But when did you have it, and why didn't you tell me you were sick? I had no idea."

"Well, I knew you were really busy, and like I said, I get it almost every year, so it doesn't bother me. And I've been on meds before that hurt more than they helped, so I'm used to this stuff. I didn't want to bother you over nothing."

"Mike, you want me to tell you when I'm not doing well, right?"

"Of course."

"Well, that's a two-way street. If you want me to come to you when I need help, you've got to come to me, too. You're not a burden to me, and I'm never too busy for you."

He wasn't entirely convinced, but he did appreciate it.

He tried to give her another bite, but she pushed the spoon away and made a run for the bathroom. Mike followed her in and got down on his knees and pulled her hair out of the way and rubbed her back, feeling sorry for her.

She puked until she had nothing left in her, and then her body was racked with dry heaves. The nausea spell passed, and he carried her back to bed. He made sure she was comfortable, and then went to get her a glass of water.

"I can't keep anything down," she said when he tried to give it to her.

"You need to stay hydrated, just drink a little."

She was able to drink a few sips, but no more than that.

"I don't think I've ever been this sick. Someone put me out of my misery."

"It's okay Zoey, you'll feel better soon. Is there anything else I can do to help?"

"You've done more than enough already, thank you."

He got into bed with her and gently put his arms around her. He made sure to lie in a position that wouldn't make her uncomfortable.

"Most guys would be getting as far away as possible," she mumbled into her pillow.

"I don't want to stay away from you, even when you are as sick as a dog."

"Promise me you'll tell me the next time you get sick or, you know, anything else. Please?"

"Okay."

"I mean it."

"I will, I promise."

He looked at the calendar on her wall. It was December 18th, one week till Christmas. The thought made him very happy. He loved Christmas already, but Christmases with Zoey were his favorite. He just hoped she would be well by then, and that she wouldn't get sick again anytime soon. He hated seeing her feel this bad, but at least in this state he got to baby her. It seemed she was always taking care of him, and now he got to return the favor.

"Zoey?" he whispered.

"Hm?" she replied.

"When you're better, do you think we could play in the snow again? I've decided snow is my favorite kind of weather."

"Only if we get to cuddle afterwards."

"You drive a hard bargain, but I suppose I can agree to that."

He kept quiet after that so she could sleep. He could feel himself slowly drifting off, too. The steady rise and fall of her chest was soothing to him. Outside, he could see a light snow falling.

Yes, snow was definitely his favorite kind of weather.