"Tenshi, what have you done with yourself?" Espio brought out, horrified, at the sticky-looking, white-and-brown-and-pink-hued, positively cackling hedgehog oozing on the park bench in front of him.

"Is something the matter, Es?" Smirk clear on his face Silver flicked his ears, giving the half-molten ice cream cone in his hand a nibble. "You look disturbed."

With a sputter Espio stepped forward, his backpack dropped onto the grass with at thud. "How did you manage to get that all over your face in the two seconds I left to go look at some flowers?!"

Shrugging callously Silver stretched himself out over the park bench, the ice cream taking to floating beside him... and some more droplets of the molten goo falling onto him at the jostling. Eyes drifting over the other's body Espio stifled a deep sigh; most of it had been contained to the hedgehog's cheeks and muzzle, but some had also drizzled onto the usually-downy tuft of white fur. Leave it to Silver to create such chaos in hardly five minutes of being left unsupervised. "Actually, no, don't answer that," Espio continued, before he could receive a response. "I already know I don't want to hear it anyway."

"Tsk. You should learn to enjoy life more, and I'm enjoying it lots right now," the hedgehog teased, biting in the waffle that made up the cone. "...I actually didn't think this thing would melt this quickly. But it's so tasty!"

"Well, it is warm outside." Sinking down onto the park bench also, as far away from his beloved as he could manage to avoid putting himself in the ice cream danger zone, Espio scrutinised the psychic. Silver had been most interested by the little cart that sold the sweet treats at the entrance of the park, and delighted when Espio had offered to buy him one... Except maybe some explanations had been necessary beforehand, the chameleon sighed inwardly before crossing his arms and sending Silver his usual Unamused Parental Look. "And you know how to eat ice cream... right?"

If the way Silver took a full bite out of the chocolate-flavoured orb was any indication, he did not.

"Chewing," the hedgehog responded, though something more pensive flickered over his face as he shot a doubtful glance at the cone himself. "...That's what you do with food that isn't drinks. You chew on ice cubes too, and this is ice cream. They're not so different."

"I mean, yes, but ice cream is supposed to be licked. Don't bite it, your mouth won't thank you for that," Espio explained, half-amused and half-exasperated.

"Is that why my teeth feel all weird? Oh, and my powers- never mind."

Eyes immediately narrowing Espio scrutinised the other. "Did you give yourself a brain freeze when I wasn't nearby?"

"I don't know what that is," Silver mumbled, the cone turning around in the air so his little pink tongue could flick over the strawberry-flavoured part next- and as always, it was most difficult for Espio to take to scolding with his beloved's pensive pondering and adorable little actions. "But I do know that it did not cause me trouble to control them and it did not result in this thing just barging right against my face," the other continued much more cheerfully, and Espio couldn't stay mad at the overly-bright smile getting sent his way, either.

"You are incorrigible." Leaning down to grab his bag he'd stocked with supplies beforehand – a requirement when travelling with Charmy, the bee having ended in many a situation like this also, and the instinct had stuck over time – Espio pulled out a bag of wipes, lips curling up at the narrow-eyed look of disdain crossing Silver's face next. "Eat your ice cream and I'll clean you up after," the chameleon commanded.

"...Bleh."

"Your fault for eating like a rabid raccoon."

"I'm a hedgehog," said hedgehog protested, foregoing licking once more in favour of taking another bite out of the ice cream- and some more of it smudging on his lips, and even the hedgehog's nose falling victim to a runny white dot. So much for it being Silver's fault; more like his own fault for giving Silver a cone with three orbs in a moment of weak-hearted desire to spoil his sweetheart, Espio scolded himself inwardly. Even if Silver had been all but amazed at the massive ice cream getting handed to him, and his beloved's closed eyes and occasional tail-wag were clear indicators the psychic was enjoying the treat greatly. Plus, with the sun shining down on the park and the wind rustling gently through the trees he could wait awhile, the ice cream steadily decreasing. "How come you didn't take one yourself when you bought this, Es?" his beloved spoke up after a while. "Don't you like ice cream?"

With a small shrug Espio let his gaze drift over the other, always happy with what he was seeing. "Not particularly," he explained. "I don't think it is gross, but if it were to disappear from the planet the next day, I would not mourn our loss."

"Hmmm." Studying the cone Silver flicked an ear. "You sure you don't want a little bit of mine? Because I think this is the best ice cream in the whole world."

"It's also the only ice cream you've ever eaten in the whole world," the chameleon teased; but the cone already got held up to his face, Espio's fingers curling around Silver's as he stabilised it for a few quick licks also. Chocolate first, strawberry next, a final taste of the vanilla, and he had to hand it to Silver; this definitely was the best, most flavourful, and sweetest ice cream he'd ever had. "Thank you, tenshi. It is tasty," he smiled at the other, Silver giving the cone another nibble.

"Of course. But I think next time I'll try the other flavours, too."

"Chocolate, strawberry and vanilla are the three classics. But they have so many flavours these days, it is getting ridiculous."

"Typical Es, unable to keep up with the advances of the world," Silver retorted cheekily, two more quick bites from the ice cream enough to diminish it to the point the hedgehog could pop the leftover part of the cone into his mouth. "Yummy," the hedgehog chirped inbetween his munching, sinking down further on the park bench and stretching his arms out lavishly. "But I am a bit cold now."

"I'll warm up your face. Come here," Espio huffed, grasping Silver right by his scruff before the hedgehog could escape and tearing a wet wipe from the package with his other hand. Promptly the hedgehog got pulled onto the chameleon's legs back-first, betrayed golden eyes staring up and the psychic immediately wriggling and kicking his legs. Something to deal with afterwards, Espio immediately decreed as he took the attack to Silver's one cheek. "And sit- still-!"

"Espiooooooo," immediately resounded from his lap in pitiful protest, the hedgehog shaking his head madly to get rid of the cloth getting dragged over it. "People will see!"

"There's hardly anyone here, and regardless, I do not care. I'm not taking you home looking like this." Folding the wipe and pressing it against Silver's other cheek Espio rubbed it in circles, before dragging the cloth up and chuckling at the adorable sneeze as he wiped his beloved's nose clean also. A mere interruption in the yips and huffs of protest that were left completely ignored anyway; diving into Silver's fluff next the chameleon wiped that clean also, until his beloved was just as pristine as he liked to see once more. "Eat like a toddler, get cleaned like a toddler," Espio added sternly, rubbing behind a twitching grey ear all the same and shooting a smile at his beloved's narrowed eyes as Silver finally stopped his wriggling in favour of a murr.

"Rude, Es."

Knowing Silver's revenge would be swift and terrible and also knowing he would not mind at all Espio merely shrugged, putting the wipe away in a little plastic bag in his rucksack. "At least you are clean once anew, hmm?"

"...Yes, indeed. I guess I should thank you for that, huh?" the psychic grinned, a whole lot more dangerously- and before Espio could so much as react strong grey-furred arms had already snaked around his body and pressed him firmly against the hedgehog. "Here, allow me," said hedgehog purred, pulling himself upright... and Espio yelped in displeasure as icy cold lips pressed against his cheek, nuzzling and snuggling all over and leaving a trail of unpleasant cold in their wake.

"Silver!"

"Hey, you can share my ice cream, but then you also need to share my cold mouth," the hedgehog bluntly stated, between some kisses that made Espio scrunch up only more.

"You offered me a bite!"

But despite his protests, Espio could only laugh at the cold getting pressed all over his face, Silver switching haphazardly from one cheek to the next. "Just giving you the whole experience," his beloved teased, though his nuzzles halted as he pulled a face. "I think I'll give that licking a try next time, though. My teeth feel funny."

"And then you can prevent that brain freeze that did not cause that whole mess on you in the first place," Espio added, giving Silver a final peck on his forehead with his own perfectly warm lips before moving to pull both of them to their feet. "We can go to the park again soon, and I can buy you another one, if you promise to try and keep yourself clean then."

"I can't promise anything," the hedgehog grinned.

"Or I'm getting you the same three flavours again and you can't try the new ones."

And that seemed to be effective enough of a threat, Espio smiled inwardly, since Silver did squeak and nod before snuggling closer as they made their way back onto the path leading to the park's exit. And even if it did not work and the hedgehog was once more as messy as just now...

Well, some cold kisses in return for teasing cleaning would be a fair enough trade again.

Author's notes:

Hi everyone ^-^ I love it when fic ideas just come to me randomly, and this one came yesterday during lunch, where I wondered what would happen if Silver got his hands on an ice cream and gave Espio very cold kisses afterwards, haha. I'm giving the bois all the summer vibes I do not have myself right now, it is 2 degrees here and I can't STAND it😩 Writing this one was a lot of fun, so I hope you enjoyed! Have a nice week and stay safe, everyone🍀