Today was the day. He knew it the instant he woke up that morning, and he instantly began to panic. Looking around his small room, he let out a sigh of relief when his eyes spotted a small, black and velvet box. It was still there. No one had taken it during the night.
Sighing, the fox crawled out of bed, and looked out his window. It was a beautiful spring morning, and a few birds chirped their usual morning songs. He frowned at seeing a few inches of snow on the ground, and again he panicked, but only for a split second.
"It's going to be okay," he told himself, taking a deep breath. "You got all day…it's all going to work out…"
But even he didn't believe his own words. Turning his gaze from the window, he looked across the room at his calendar. There, circled in red pen, was the fourteenth of February. The circle stared back at him, as if in mockery, and he swallowed, fear clutching his soul for a third time since he had woken.
He had been planning this day since he was seventeen years old. Thousands of ideas had come and gone from his head over how he was going to propose to his girlfriend, Tia. And today, was the day when he'd finally allow his most recent proposal idea to take affect.
He was sorry to admit, that his idea had come from Tia herself. They had been watching TV one afternoon together, about three months ago, when an ad for a store to buy engagement rings came on. Tia absolutely loved the ad, and exclaimed over and over how that would be a very romantic way to propose to someone. It was as if she wanted Tails to do exactly that, and, if that was what she had in mind, there was no way she could be disappointed. That is, unless she didn't want to marry the two-tailed fox.
At this thought, Tails began to sweat. What if she really didn't love him? What if she loved another? What if she was annoyed by his very presence? What if she wanted a man that could really provide for her, give her money that would last? What if…?
The phone suddenly rang, and Tails yelped, not expecting a call this early in the morning. He slowly ran a hand through his moist fur, breathing in carefully as he picked up the phone.
"Hello?" His voice was soft, nervous, and he fiddled around with the telephone's cord.
"Today's the day!" A voice chirped at him, and Tails instantly recognized it as Sonic's voice, and groaned. "Aw, come on, Tails, cheer up!" Sonic responded, a smug grin on his face, Tails was sure. "It ain't that hard to propose. You just get down on your hands and knees, say, 'I love you; will you marry me?'- You might wanna add a little to that- and than, bang! You've got a fiancée!"
"It was not that easy for you, Sonic the Hedgehog!" Tails heard Amy cry, and he listened as Sonic chuckled nervously.
"Right, you're right, Amy. It's nerve racking." His voice turned back to the anxious fox on the other line. "But you can still do it, Tails. We're countin' on ya. You two were meant to be together." Tails again groaned.
"You, Amy, and I think that, but what if she doesn't?" Sonic sighed, sounding a bit exasperated as he answered,
"Tails, the more you doubt, the worse it'll seem to turn out. Trust me, I've been there, done that. Please, don't be like me."
"I didn't know Amy could sense you were nervous," Tails replied, sounding a bit more relieved.
"Oh, no, she didn't know a thing," Sonic replied, sarcastically, and Tails smiled nervously. "Heh, Tails, if it weren't for the necklace she opened first, she wouldn't have been surprised at all 'bout my proposal. Yours, on the other hand, is so…odd, Tia could never guess!"
"But, what if she swallows the ring-?"
"Well, don't let her get that far!" Sonic barked, but then his voice became soft again. "Just do it, Tails. You won't regret it once she's yours forever. And you're hearing this for the hedgehog who's actually married." Tails chuckled nervously. "Tails, I need more than a chuckle. Who's gonna be yours by the end of the day?!"
"Tia is," Tails murmured softly, and Sonic again sighed.
"You need to be more confident, bro. Do you need me to be there with ya?"
"N-No," Tails said, rather firmly, and Sonic chuckled. "You don't need to treat me like I can't do anything, ya know."
"I know," Sonic voiced. "I just wanted to get the Tails I know back. The one who likes doing things himself." Tails smiled at this. "Anyway, Tails, Ames and I are getting ready to leave soon for our date. You an' Tia will be here to baby-sit Kyler, Violet and Chris soon, right?" The fox nodded, but, suddenly remembering that Sonic couldn't see him, answered a quick "yes". "Good," Sonic continued. "Then I'll see ya two soon. Oh, and a word to the wise. Don't forget the ring." And with that, the blue hedgehog hung up.
He had never felt so nervous before, as he raised his hand, and knocked on Tia's wooden door. Shuffling his feet anxiously, he was relieved when the door swung open, and there stood Tia, looking more radiant than usual, and yet, she had dressed the same way she did everyday. Her light blue skirt blew gently in the soft wind, and she blew her bangs out of her face, giggling softly at the look Tails was giving her.
"Hello to you too, Tails," she started, stepping out of her home. Tails shook his head slightly, telling himself to appear casual, and he smiled at her weakly.
"Hi," he said, and he suddenly felt self-conscience. "Er…I suppose you're ready to baby-sit Sonic and Amy's kids?" Tia frowned, sensing his nerves as the two of them set off towards the Hedgehog home.
"Yeah, I love those kids, you know," Tia answered, and she smiled gently at the fox, trying to calm him of whatever was bothering him. Gently, she took his hand in her own, and the two-tailed fox clutched the black box hidden within his tails protectively. The two walked in silence for a minute, Tails becoming more and more nervous, and Tia becoming more and more concerned. "What's wrong?" she questioned, but Tails only shrugged as he picked up their speed.
"Why would something be wrong with me?" Tails answered, chuckling nervously. "No-no, I'm fine. Just fine. What about you?"
Tia raised an eyebrow at this, before answering,
"Just fine, Tails."
Again, silence fell between the two of them, and it stayed like this for another five minutes, until they reached Sonic and Amy's home. Before Tails could even reach for the doorbell, Sonic opened the door, a grin plastered on his face. He looked first at the nervous Tails, and than at Tia, his grin becoming even wider as he stared back and forth between the two of them. Tails cleared his throat, attempting to force Sonic to not appear so happy, but instead all he got was another grin from the hedgehog before Sonic stepped aside, allowing the couple in.
"I see you two made it here well," Sonic started, and Tia nodded, glad to know that Sonic, at least, seemed happy. Tails sure didn't seem too excited, that was for sure.
"Where are you and Amy going today?" she questioned, her eyes sparkling. "A waterfall? A vast meadow with nothing to see but the prairies?"
"Actually," Sonic interrupted, his smile becoming a smirk, "the only person who knows where we're going is myself. Not even Tails knows. And even then, we might go to places I didn't plan about."
Tia smiled, before turning to Amy, who had just entered the room. The pink hedgehog smiled at the pair of foxes, before saying,
"The kids are playing in the nursery right now. Don't forget, Chris needs his bottle in two hours, and the other two kids will want a snack by then. Lunch and dinner's in the fridge, and you can just microwave it. Feel free to make yourselves at home; watch a movie even, if you want to. After all, it is Valentine's Day." The two girls giggled, both turning to their significant other. Sonic rolled his eyes, and gently tugged at Amy's arm.
"We should get going," he urged, and he slowly walked to the door. Turning back to face Tails, for only a second, he winked, and said softly, "The candy's on the table. Feel free…"
"Candy, what candy?" Tia asked, puzzled, but Sonic shut the door before he could answer her. Turning to her boyfriend, she looked at him curiously, but the two-tailed fox only blushed, saying,
"Why don't you go check on the kids? I have…uh…things to do."
"Things to do…" Tia repeated, looking not at all convinced.
"Yeah!" Tails answered, laughing slightly. His laughter dropped at the look Tia gave him.
"Right," she said, rolling her eyes. "Lemme know when I'm welcome again."
"No, no, Tia, it isn't like that!" Tails started, and he rushed ahead of her, placing his hands on her shoulders. The female fox sighed, and folded her arms, glaring at him.
"Then why have you been so quiet today? Or, I should ask, why have you been so secretive within the last week, Tails? It isn't any fun." Tails smiled slightly, trying to ease her temper. Kissing her forehead-for having seen Sonic do the same to Amy so many times, he figured it might cool her down some- he answered,
"You'll find out soon enough." He tried mimicking Sonic's smirk, which got a small smile out of her. He wasn't prepared for what she said next, however.
"And now you're starting to act like Sonic. Tails, I don't want a Sonic, I want you." She rolled her eyes, smiling slightly as she turned from him, heading to the nursery.
At first, Tails wondered if maybe he should go after Tia. But than he realized, that if he did that, he'd look like an idiot, so instead he headed to the dining room, where the heart-shaped candy sat, as promised, on the table. The candy wasn't just heart-shaped, however. It was the famous candy that had words of love written on them, like, "Be Mine." He smiled to himself, and reached into his tails, hoping to find the black box. His eyes grew panicky when he suddenly realized that he didn't have the box any longer.
He felt like he was going to die, when he heard a sharp knock at the door. Feeling miserable and depressed, he headed to the door, his ears hanging down as he opened the door to see none other than Sonic and Amy, both of them smiling at his rather dejected face.
"I, am such a hero," Sonic said dramatically, and he raised a velvet box above his head, grinning smugly.
"Actually, Tails, I was the one who found it," Amy started, but Sonic only shushed her.
"You owe me-er, rather, us- at least five thousand dollars," the blue hedgehog teased. "Or, however much that ring of yours cost ya." He winked at the dumbfounded fox as Tails reached for the box.
"Keep your voices down, will ya?" Tails murmured, as he again felt the box safe within his grasp. He stared down at it happily, his ears half-rising once again, and his eyes returning to their natural state. "Tia could hear ya-"
"What're you guys doing back here?" Tails froze mid-sentence as he heard Tia enter the room, Violet holding the fox's hand.
"Mama, Daddy!" the child cried, racing towards her parents. Sonic gave Tails a look that had to mean something like, 'Now you really owe us. We won't be able to leave 'till Violet doesn't notice us.' Tails laughed sheepishly, turning to the confused Tia.
"They just had something to return to me is all," Tails explained, trying to sound casual as he took her hand. The female fox blinked, just missing her boyfriend stuff the ring and its box back into his tails, which stiffened in order to make sure the box wasn't lost again. Sonic barely contained his laughter, before he and Amy called a quick goodbye, and again, left the house. Violet, confused and abandoned on the floor, stared up at the foxes before she began her screaming.
"I should've known they'd make me pay," Tails muttered under his breath, as he picked up the screaming child. Bouncing her in his arms, Tails looked up at Tia and smiled. The fox looked almost as confused and rejected as Violet had only a minute ago.
"Pay for what?" she asked, but Tails only shrugged, hoping she wouldn't get too nosey. Not now, at least.
The rest of the day went by slowly for Tails and Tia, neither talking very much. Tails was too nervous to do much talking, and he kept running his future proposal in his mind, hoping it would turn out well. Tia, feeling unloved-and on Valentine's Day - didn't feel much like talking anyway. This fact worried Tails. What if she would be so fed up with him by the end of the day, that she wouldn't except the ring? This thought only made the fox quieter, which didn't help his situation in the least.
When Sonic and Amy had asked the two foxes to baby-sit for the day, they had warned the two that they weren't exactly sure when they'd be back. "Could be three hours, could be all day," Sonic had said. Therefore, when they weren't back by supper, neither Tails nor Tia was surprised. To tell the truth bluntly, Tails was glad they weren't back yet. He had wanted to get the proposal over with earlier, but he couldn't seem to find a good time for he and Tia to sit down on the couch, and eat the small valentine heart candies. Why they needed to be eaten for the proposal to happen, only Tails, Sonic, and Amy knew.
Finally, when the three toddlers were put to bed, Tia and Tails came out of the nursery, Tia trying to start a conversation. Tails half listened, his mind whirling as he, without knowing, headed to the dining room table, where the candy sat, waiting patiently on the table.
"Tails, are you listening to me?" The one-tailed fox stopped in her tracks, frowning sadly at the two-tailed fox. "I do wish you'd stop ignoring me, Tails. I mean, it's Valentine's Day, and you haven't… even kissed me." She sighed, turning away, as she tried not to get teary eyed. Silence between them came once again, and Tails suddenly felt like crying as well. This had all been a bad idea, he figured. Tia and he weren't ready to be together; especially if he didn't have the courage to just ask her! What was he? A coward?
"You were expecting something, weren't you, Tia?" His voice was soft, and Tia could hear his own sadness within it as she turned slightly to him. "Look, I'm sorry. I tried. But I was nervous."
Tia turned fully around this time, looking a bit interested. "What are you talking about? It isn't that hard to…" She shut her mouth then, shaking her head, her face turning to anger. "Geez, I'm such a selfish brat." She looked up at Tails, her eyes seeming to beg for his comfort. "I shouldn't be so upset just because…I mean, I have you. I don't need-"
"But there is one thing you needed to get from me a long time ago," the fox interrupted, and he grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the hallway and into the dining room. The bowl of candy hearts was still there. Tails let go of Tia's hand then, and ordered, "Dig through the candy." Tia looked at him, confused.
"Wait, why?" she started, but Tails only picked up her hand and placed it in the bowl, his eyes pleading for something. Tia, still lost, began digging through the sugary hearts. Suddenly, she felt something cold, like metal, against her fingers, and her interest was peaked. She fiddled with the strange object for a minute, before she slowly began to pull it out of the bowl. Tails tapped his foot impatiently, unknowingly seeming to act like Sonic. Her hand came out of the bowl slowly, and then, suddenly, she let out a small gasp. In her hand, was something she had been praying to receive from Tails.
"Tia." The fox turned to Tails, her eyes shimmering with tears. Tails shifted about nervously for a second, his hand going behind his neck as he continued. "I-I love you…And well…" He sighed, exasperated. He definitely felt like an idiot, even though he had been trying to avoid the feeling all day.
"Just say, 'will you marry me'," Tia whispered, and she handed the ring to Tails. The kitsune smiled at her weakly, and suddenly, Tia didn't find that he was trying to avoid her with that smile. He was just being his normal self.
Slowly, the fox got on his hands and knees, and, in one quick breath, asked,
"Tia, will you please marry me?"
"I don't think you need that please to make me say yes," Tia answered. Her tears began to overflow, and she tried to calmly watch Tails place the ring on her finger. But, for some reason, she didn't even think she could stand, so, she slowly sank down to Tails' level, still crying, still smiling. Tails weak smile was now replaced with a beaming grin, and he reached out with his free hand and wiped her nearest tears away. He caressed her cheek softly, feeling more love for her than he had ever felt. Tia's look told Tails all he had to know. He shouldn't have doubted her 'yes' for even a minute.
The two leaned forward at exactly the same time. Just as their lips touched, however, a familiar sonic boom sounded from behind the door, and the wooden door swung open, Amy laughing in Sonic's arms. The two hedgehogs looked down at the two foxes, not expecting them to just be getting the proposal over with. Neither fox noticed the hedgehogs, though, and this only made the blue hedgehog chuckle as he turned to his wife, who was enjoying the romantic scene immensely.
"I've never seen them so happy," Amy whispered, as she began to tear up, and Sonic rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, well, you've seen someone happier then them, right?"
"I wonder…" Amy murmured, and Sonic gawked.
"Hello, Ames!" He waved a hand in front of her. "What about me?" His voice was full of pleading as Amy laughed and wiggled out of his strong arms.
"Oh, Sonic," she explained, as she continued watching the foxes. "I love you, but I've been with you all day. Let me watch someone else's joy."
"You should never get enough of me, though!" Sonic cried, and this, somehow got the foxes attention as the broke apart. Both looked up at the same time, saw the 'arguing' hedgehogs, and both blushed. Amy turned to Sonic, an angry look in her eyes.
"Sonic, if it weren't for you…" she growled, but Sonic was already way ahead of her.
"Yeah, well, um…" the cobalt hedgehog cleared his throat, before turning to the pair of foxes, who looked very confused. "I would stay and say congrats to you two, but I think it's safer for me to be with the kids than near Amy…" he winked at Amy as he slowly backed away. The pink hedgehog scoffed at her husband, and turned back to Tails and Tia.
"So, I see it went well?" she asked, as if this were a casual question.
All that the foxes could do was nod. That was good enough of an answer for Amy.