[Synopsis: The weather is nippy, and Engineer's favorite purple hoodie seems to have mysteriously disappeared...Odds are you probably know who took it.]

[Location: Gnome and Engineer's home]

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Engineer slowly regained consciousness, his eyes fluttering open and the blurry room around him coming slowly into view...He could tell by the dull light coming from the outside window and the sound of the wind blowing outside that today was going to be a chilly Saturday.

Better put on something warm today, he told himself as he sat up and stretched, looking at the time displayed on his alarm clock...7:02 a.m., it read. And seeing that he went to bed earlier than he usually did last night, he decided that it was time for him to wake up.

He slowly slid off of his side of the bed and quietly tip-toed over to the dresser, being careful not to wake up his girlfriend. He got out of his fuzzy pajamas and stuck his signature goggles on his head, then pulled out the bottom right drawer of the dresser to fetch his favorite hoodie.

...Only to quickly find that it wasn't where it should be.

That's weird...I remember seeing it in here a few days ago, he said to himself, checking his other drawers to make sure it hadn't been misplaced somehow. But it wasn't anywhere in there, either.

He turned to face the bed, and his next discovery was that Gnome wasn't where he expected her to be, either. The covers on her side of the bed were pushed down, and judging by the sound of plates clattering out in the kitchen, she was probably already cooking breakfast.

Maybe she went to wash it, he surmised. Wait, but...It was in the drawer, and it was clean, so...she wouldn't have had any reason to take it out.

Slightly befuddled by the situation, Engineer opened the bedroom door and headed out into the main part of the house. The savory smell of bacon hit him so hard as he made his way towards the kitchen, he almost forgot what he was so confused about. But he didn't, and the moment he saw Gnome, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Hey, Gnomey? Have you seen my-?"

The next thing he saw was that she was wearing something purple over her bright lime green suit...And upon closer inspection, it was the very hoodie he'd been looking for.

"Hm...?"

Gnome turned to face him as she pulled a chair out from under the dining table, yawning a bit before giving him a smile.

"...Morning, Engie," she greeted him softly. "You sleep okay?"

"Heh...Y-yeah, I slept pretty well."

He found himself staring at Gnome a bit...He would be kidding himself if he said she didn't look absolutely adorable in it. She was a bit thinner than he was, so it looked slightly baggy on her, and the contrast of color between her and the hoodie went surprisingly good together.

Gnome looked down at her outfit, then back at Engineer, realizing what might be going through his head.

"Oh, Engie, were you going to wear this?"

"Uh, yeah, but it's fine. You can keep it on."

"...You sure?"

He nodded, taking a seat at the table across from her, looking over his delicious-smelling plate of bacon and scrambled eggs she'd whipped up.

"Sorry about that, Engie," she apologized to him. "I was cold when I woke up this morning, and that was the first thing I found, and...I-I was going to look for something else, but it was just so warm and soft, and it smells like you, so I just...melted right into it, I guess."

Engineer chuckled softly as he took a bite out of his eggs.

"It's okay, Gnome," he assured her after he swallowed. "I don't mind. I'll just find something else to slip on after breakfast. Besides, to tell you the truth, I, uh, think it looks really good on you."

"Really?"

"M-hm," he hummed, turning slightly pink as he stared at her again, tilting his head off to the side a bit. "...You look nice and warm."

"Are you going to be able to find something else to wear yourself? I took a peek at the forecast, and it's going to be in the forties all day today and into the rest of next week."

He chortled again.

"I'll be fine, babe," he assured her, taking a bite out of a piece of bacon. "Don't worry about me. Besides, I can get another one online; they arrive pretty quickly."

"You suuure you'll be okay?"

"Hey. As long as I have you, everything will be."

Gnome giggled a bit again, cooing softly as she and Engineer reached their hands out across the table and rested them on top of one another's.

"...You wanna snuggle up on the couch after breakfast?" he offered. "I wanna see if you feel as cuddly as you look in that."

Gnome yawned as she shoved another bite of egg into her mouth and nodded.

"Sure thing, Engie...I went to bed pretty late last night, so I wouldn't mind taking today slow."

The purple crewmate smiled at her again. When they finally finished eating, Engineer stuck their dishes in the sink, then took his sweetheart by the hand as they both headed into the living room and sat down on the couch...Gnome positioned herself in his lap and curled up into him once they were both seated.

"You're sleepy today, huh?"

"M-hm..."

She snuggled into him further, and Engineer grabbed a blanket from the top couch cushion to drape overtop of them.

"Comfy?"

She nodded again, humming contently when she felt him stroking the top of her head and gently rocking her to and fro...Engineer smiled at how warm and soft she felt; they couldn't have picked a better day for cuddling.

When he felt about ready to fall asleep himself, he gently pressed a kiss against her forehead and leaned back into the sofa, still holding her.

"...Love you, Gnomey."

As his mind succumbed to the soft embrace of slumber(paired with that of his precious Gnome,) he smiled again...There wasn't a single doubt that the two of them were a perfect match.

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"Engie, there's a package at the door for you!"

"Oh, good! That's probably the hoodie I ordered!"

Gnome went back to sweeping the kitchen floor as Engineer exchanged words with the delivery crewmate and signed a few things, and she turned her head and watched as her boyfriend headed to their bedroom with the pale blue poly mailer he'd just received...After she put the broom away, she hugged herself a bit; she was wearing his hoodie again, and it still had his scent on it.

I'm glad Engie got himself a spare, she said to herself. ...I can't imagine him having to go without something as cozy as this.

"Hey, Gnomey!"

She perked up when she heard him calling her name.

"Yeah, babe!?" she hollered back.

"You wanna take a look and tell me if I look good in this!?"

She trotted out of the kitchen and down towards their bedroom to give him some reassurance.

"Oh, Engie, I'm sure you'll look great in-"

She stopped once she saw him wearing the new hoodie.

It was the same brand and design as the one he'd given to Gnome...But instead of a deep shade of purple like she expected it to be, the new hoodie was a vibrant spring green, not far off from her own suit color.

"Well..." Engineer smirked, knowing he'd surprised her. "What do you think?"

"Ha..."

The smile on her face gradually grew wider and wider, and after a few moments of silence, Gnome burst out laughing and threw herself into him, spinning the two of them around.

"Oh, Engie...!"

Tears pricked in the corners of her eyes as they stood there in each other's embrace, and she squeezed him tighter.

"Engie, you're the best...!"

"So are you, Gnomey," he returned, kissing her cheek. "So are you..."

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Dang, I got this one done quick; I ended up writing the whole thing in bursts throughout the day.

I just hope it didn't come across as rushed and/or sloppy. Tell me what you think. XD