Be My Valentine, Miles Prower

Another Lovely Little Interlude

Author's Note: With Valentine's Day near, fabulous little Sonic valentine fanfics are popping up in this genre. I thought I ought to take a shot at it as well, giving my own interpretation of it. This story is SatAM-based, after post-Doomsday. There is an Archie reference in here; the character of Fiona Fox. Since I don't adore the way the characters are depicted in Archie (nor do I really know much about it) everyone else acts like they did in SatAM. This isn't about Sonic getting together with Amy (nor will my stories ever be) or someone finding their 'true love'. This, in fact, is a story about the perils of first love and how it changes everyone around you, along with yourself. This is written in Tails' perspective as well. I adore his character for his innocence and I tried to incoporate that in my writing.

This is probably going to be the longest one-shot you ever read. Stick with it. I change verb tenses as well; from past to present. I'm not sure how well I made the transistion, so any feedback is really appreciated. Enjoy this fic and Happy Valentine's Day. I guess you could call this my excuse for not updating Deprivation for a month, but trust me, this is not your typical little girly, Valentine's Day fic. To me, and maybe to you, it's so much more.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tails or anyone else. I never will.

I never quite got it…what this 'love' thing was. I understood it whenever my Aunt Sally kissed me on the cheek or even the nose whenever I went to bed; I understood it then even though it was so funny. I understood it when my 'big bro' Sonic would save me from all the bad guys; those 'SWATbutts'. He did it because he cared. He did it because he didn't want me or anyone else hurt. But I don't understand it at all now…why my heart starts thumping almost as fast as my best friend would gulp down chili dogs whenever I'm around her…

…whenever I'm around that little red fox girl.

I don't like it.

When people talk about love, they make it seem like something really amazing. Two years ago, I thought it was disgusting. Sonic told me that was how COOTIES were transferred and I didn't want cooties transferred to me. When I asked him if Aunt Sally kissing me transferred cooties he said 'no'. I asked 'why?'. He told me Aunt Sally was different than the other girls. I didn't understand why then.

When the war ended things changed, I guess. Aunt Sally dove into something she told me was called Politics. Sonic called it the 'final frontier of evil'. She had only shook her head when he said it.

Mobotropolis was rebuilt. Aunt Sally told me that it wasn't the same as the old one, but it was getting close. She and Sonic had used the Time Stones and saw it. I wish I could've come along but I was little then. I was always too little to understand everything back then. I'm still too little to understand everything now.

When she and Sonic talk about the 'final frontier of evil', they tell me it's adult stuff and that I wouldn't understand. I asked her one time if I didn't understand how could Sonic? She had only smiled at me and replied, "I'm still trying to find that out myself."

That's why I love Aunt Sally. She hasn't changed much even with all that work…or at least I didn't think. Sonic said it was taking over her. The two still spent time together though. They still took their walks and had their 'big kid talks'. It was one night though; one night at the end of last year that it all changed. Sonic had asked me to help him with something and I wasn't quite sure what to say.

"T2, I uhh...can 'ya keep a secret?"

"I guess," I had replied. Sonic and I hadn't really been able spend nearly as much time as we used to together. He was always going places. I really missed him.

"I want 'ya to be the first to know what I'm plannin'…you see, Sal 'n me, we've been going out for a while, right?"

"A couple years, I think…" I recalled, though I was sort of clueless to what he was referring to. "Wait, uhh…what's going out?"

"'Ya know, dating, 'lil bro?"

"Like rock dating?"

"Rock dating? What are 'ya talking about, Tails?"

"Well, according to a process in geology, you can find the absolute age of rock layers by seeing how much of special radioactive-"

"Radioactive? Say what, bro? Where'd 'ya get that definition? Sal's been makin' you hit 'da books too much. I'm talkin' about dating as in, you know?"

"Oh. Mushy stuff."

"Right. And I was thinkin' now is the time I stepped up and-"

I don't think I ever forgot that night because ever since then, things really changed. I guess Sonic was the one person I really learned about 'dating' from. The year ended and then this one began. I started to spend more time in Mobotropolis. I thought it was cool; I thought the city in general was really cool because of all the people. I would sit on a bench and watched all them all pass by; sometimes make up stories about their lives. I would say one worked at a food stand but dreamed of becoming something big like a-a space explorer! That every night he would sit down and stare at the stars and just wonder what lay out there beyond this planet. He would always act really happy, but would always be hiding a frown. I began to feel bad for this character too, so I stopped adding on to his story.

Another day I made a story about a girl that had been reading a teen magazine with my best friend Sonic's face on the cover. I had made a story up that she was a secret agent; trying to research her enemy's weaknesses so she could 'take him out'. I stopped that one too when I realized the enemy had been Sonic. It just wasn't nice to think of mean stories behind his back.

One day, however, I spotted a red fox. She had one tail and was faintly familiar. And then I remembered her name…

Fiona.

I don't like to think back too far in the past, but for some reason my heart began thumping wildly. I couldn't make it stop. My mind started making up a story that she was out there looking for me. That she never stopped thinking of me; that she never forgot.

That she never stopped liking me.

I guess you could say it was really silly, but for some reason I followed her a little ways, just thinking. I stopped later, realizing that it was sort of like that of a stalker and that I wouldn't like it if some stranger was following me. I would've been scared.

I went home for the evening, and that was that.

When I first heard about Valentine's Day, I shivered in disgust. A day devoted to mushiness and love? It was gross. It was a 'celebration of cooties' a phrase I coined myself. When I told Sonic, he only laughed wryly. I didn't think he'd understand either. He was so old now that cooties no longer existed.

He explained it to me when I was little. Once we came to a certain stage (he said it started with a p. When I explained it to Aunt Sally later, she told me the word was puberty) guys began to lose faith in cooties. Why, he didn't know. I asked him if there was a way to stop it. He said no. He said that girls knew about this cootie thing too. He told me that every time they smiled or stared at us, they were trying to give it to us too. When I asked him if he had cooties because of Aunt Sally, he said no.

"But she's always smiling at you," I objected.

"Yeah, well, I have my own secret weapon…"

I was confused because before he told me Aunt Sally didn't have cooties. He tried to explain it more clearly.

"You see, T2," he begun, chomping down on another chili dog. "Sal's different than the rest of girls. She has cooties towards some people. You're different 'cuz you're her 'nephew'. Cooties don't work on 'nephews'."

I said okay. I understood it now, at least a bit more clearly. "So what's your secret weapon, Sonic?"

This he begun with a smile. "Chili dogs. You see, 'lil bro, there's this uh…ingredient in them…chiliphorsphy…uhh…drogen. Chiliphorsphydrogen, yeah…"

"Chiliphorsphydrogen? I never saw it on the Periodic Table…"

"That's 'cuz it's a SECRET element, bro. They can't put on there 'cuz GIRLS would find out about it and destroy it!"

"Oooh!" Once again, I was in understanding. Ever since that day, I made sure chili dogs were a strict part of my diet, just in case what Sonic said about Aunt Sally not being able to give me cooties because I was her 'nephew' wasn't true.

I saw that little red fox girl again last week. I saw her smile. I think she was smiling at me, but I couldn't be sure, though she was looking in my direction. I went to the chili dog stand right after.

That was the day, however, that I decided that maybe having cooties wouldn't be that bad. There were a few banners up in Mobotropolis advertising Valentine's Day itself. I saw little red hearts everywhere; I saw card stores boasting pink heart balloons. The words 'Be my valentine' filled every inch of the great city. And I decided that maybe, just maybe, if I asked Fiona it, she'd say yes. I decided to take a chance.

If everyone was advertising it, maybe, just maybe, Valentine's Day wasn't such a bad thing after all. I remember I got home and I set off to make the perfect valentine. Aunt Sally told me no one was perfect, but I was going to make it as close to it as I possibly could. I even asked her for a little help. She had looked surprised when I asked her.

"How do you make the perfect valentine, Aunt Sally?"

Her face had stiffened. "Valentine? Well, sweetie…I-it depends on who you're giving it too. If it's Sonic, I'd suggest making him a plate of chili dogs. The way to his heart is through his stomach. We went through this last year, remember, honey?"

"But it's not Sonic…"

"It's not? Then…who is it, Tails?"

"A girl…her name's Fiona."

"Fiona? Oh sweetie, you don't mean-"

"I saw her in the city, Aunt Sally. I swear she smiled at me!"

"Tails, you barely know her…"

"But I really wanna make her one…"

"I-well…okay. Do you know what she likes?"

"Well, uhh…not really."

"Oh. Do you even know where she lives, honey?"

"Well, she must live in Mobotropolis if I saw her walking there!"

She sighed. "Alright. Well, you could make her a card. I-I wouldn't tell her exactly how you feel though, Tails…"

"Yeah, I'm not sure if she even knows I exist…"

"Now honey," She had started, pulling me into a slight hug. "That-that's never mattered. Love knows…no boundaries, Tails. After all, if there were boundaries, how would you expect couples like…me and Sonic to last? With his speed, he'd probably destroy them all. With his lack of brain, he'd probably forget about them. In combination, he'd obliterate them, Tails."

"Oh."

"Oh?" She repeated with a smile. "You know, Tails, I-I know you may care about her, but you need to be careful. Don't wear your heart on your…shoulder, sweetie."

"Why not? I thought when you felt something; you were supposed to say it."

"Why not?" She murmured, stroking my bangs. "I-I don't want to see you get hurt, Tails, that's why not. I don't know what Sonic's taught you about…speed (nor am I sure I want to) but in love, slow and steady wins the race. Gradually show her Tails, a-a valentine now might be too-too…rash."

"Rash? What'd you mean, Aunt Sally? Fiona smiled at me. I-I really think she likes me too…"

She sighed. I think I won, because she looked at me one last time with a small frown. "Ju-just promise me you'll be careful, Tails. Don't do anything…too…reckless."

I don't know what Aunt Sally meant by 'reckless', but the next day, I really started working hard on her valentine. I bought a big pack of sparkly construction paper and cut out a big red heart. It took me a while to make it perfect, but then I added a bit of lace I bought as well and a ribbon. I looked at it and then frowned. Fiona deserved something better than that. The perfect valentine didn't look like every other one, I decided. I needed to make something that was different.

And then I got the perfect idea, staring at one of my planes in my workshop.

It took me a really long time, making the paper model, but when I was done, I was really happy with it. I made a replica of my newest plane, the Tornado and put little models of me and Fiona in the passenger seats. I worked really hard to make it perfect and I attached a banner to the back. 'Be my valentine', it stated and I couldn't be any prouder. Fiona was going to love me for it.

I placed it in a box and tied it with a ribbon. I wrote 'To Fiona Fox' on there and 'From Your Secret Admirer', just like Aunt Sally told me. I would've put my name, had I been a little more daring.

I watched the little red fox girl everyday for the rest of that week. I followed her a bit, but I kept hidden. She didn't see me at all. I watched her run her errands, and followed her home one day when she bought groceries. She entered in a building and I made note of the address with a grin. My heart was brimming with joy.

It was just the way Fiona made me think; the way that little red fox girl made a smile come to my face. More and more, I decided that I was in love. I was lying in my bed that night when I just announced it all together.

"I'm in love with Fiona Fox…" I declared softly to my ceiling. "I'm in love and I couldn't be happier…"

I don't know why, but it felt really good admitting it.

That was two days ago; two days before Valentine's Day. Yesterday was a blur to me, but I think I watched her a little more. That night, I decided to add something a little more to the tag. I scribbled in three words I never thought I'd say to a girl; the three mushiest, yuckiest words in the Mobian language.

I wrote 'I love you'. I wrote I wanted to tell it to her face. I wrote for her to meet near the park entrance if just maybe, she wanted to hear it too.

I went to bed that night with a happy smile on my face and I dreamed of her. The dream felt sort of weird, but that was okay. It was a nice kind of weird.

This morning I woke up really excited. I left my hut real early and went to the city, watching everyone fly from place to place, buying cards for their sweethearts. And I wondered, I really wondered, if maybe Fiona Fox was buying a card for me. I rushed over to her apartment building and delivered the box promptly. I laid it on the doorstep and rang the doorbell and then ran. I don't think I ever ran any faster. If anyone else had seen it, they may have thought it was a prank.

I glanced back to see a red fox answering it, Fiona herself. I would've gone back to see her open it, but for some reason I kept running. I kept running because I was so nervous; I kept running because I was sure my stomach would explode. I was afraid all the butterflies in it would spill all at once; I was afraid of the way she'd look at me. I was afraid she'd laugh; I was afraid that maybe, just maybe she didn't like me after all. I don't think I had ever been so scared in my life.

Eventually, I ran out of breath. I stopped at a chili dog stand and bought two chili dogs. I think I needed the extra chiliphorsphydrogen, because I think the cooties really had got me. I gulfed them down and then tried to calm myself. But it was no use. I was still really nervous. I decided to head for the park a little early, so I did.

I slowly walked to the entrance, feeling as sick as ever. That chiliphorsphydrogen was really bugging my stomach, or at least, that's what I thought it was. I collapsed on a bench nearby and waited; waited for her to come.

The afternoon slowly went by. I saw so many pairs of Mobians walk in and out of the park holding hands. I was really hoping that would be me and Fiona soon. I was really, really hoping.

I didn't know what I was feeling anymore, but it didn't feel so good. My mind was in so many different places. I guess I understand now what love does to a person; how they really do lose their mind. I guess I understand all the songs that had been written about it; I guess even now I understand why Antoine's love letters to my 'aunt' Sally always sounded so cheesy. Love took common sense away from people and I guess people react differently to it. Maybe that was why Aunt Sally would always tease Sonic. Maybe that was why she always called him 'immature' or 'egotistical'. Maybe it was because she was afraid of losing herself to it. Maybe denying it was her own way of protecting herself from it. And maybe that was why Sonic always seemed so reserved about it. Maybe he took it for granted; with the way so many girls cared about him. Maybe that was why he ran. Maybe he was afraid of it too; maybe he was afraid of commitment, at least that's what Aunt Sally told me the word was. Maybe we're all just a little afraid of it. Maybe that's why I fled. Maybe I'm just like him. Why is it though, that I suddenly wished I wasn't? I always wanted to be like him; like my hero Sonic, but for some reason at then I didn't. If I had just stayed and told her, I debated, if I had just waited a little longer, maybe she'd know who I was. Maybe she would've come here too.

The sun set twenty minutes ago but I'm still waiting. I've sat here ever since this afternoon, hoping and praying she would come. I guess she really isn't. I guess maybe I wasn't lucky enough.

When I wrote for her to meet me here, I had really hoped she'd come with a valentine too. I never had received a valentine before, so I thought that maybe, just maybe, it'd be a great first.

I was hoping when she delivered it to me that she'd walk up to me and say 'I got your Valentine, Miles (I didn't even care if she called me Tails…just to know she knew my name was enough.) and I made this one for you…'. I was hoping she'd add 'I read what you wrote, Tails, and I love you too.'

But that isn't going to happen. I don't know why, but I think I'm crying now. My eyes feel moist and I can't stop the tears from falling. I guess this was what Aunt Sally meant when she said she didn't want me to get hurt. I guess this is what she meant by wearing my heart on my shoulder. I guess this is what she meant by reckless.

I bury my head in my lap and just cry a little more. I hear my name, but I don't look up. I hear a voice, but I let it go in one ear and out the other. I didn't care to have any company.

"Tails?" it calls and I feel someone sit beside me. "Honey, is that you? Tails, answer me!"

I look up and then away. The last person I really want to see right now was Aunt Sally. The last person I want to let know was right was Aunt Sally.

"What happened, honey?" she begins, but I say nothing. "Tell me, sweetie! I-I demand you to tell me or else…"

I guess she was trying to be funny with her threat, but I don't dare laugh. I keep silent, watching her blue eyes study me. She looks away briefly but when she turns back, I see a smirk where that frown had been.

"Fine," she tells me, "I wasn't planning on doing this in public, but I guess I'll have to, won't I, Miles Prower?"

And she kisses me. Right on the tip of my nose.

My eyes widen as I stare at her. "Aunt Sally!" I begin, trying hard to hold back the giggle that was instinctual. Somehow I did, but I couldn't hold back the smile that was now on my face.

She smiles too. "Happy Valentine's Day, Tails."

"No, it's not a happy Valentine's Day, Aunt Sally. It's a terrible one."

"Why's that?" She inquires sweetly.

I tried to shake her away. "Because…because…"

"Because?" Her blue eyes return to mine as she tilts her head. "There's a reason for everything, Tails. I'm not going to leave until I get one."

I say nothing. She frowns once again.

"What are you doing here, Aunt Sally?" I finally ask in an annoyed tone. I was trying to look strong and independent but when I really think about it, it probably came out as the most bitter thing I ever said to my 'aunt'.

"I'm waiting." She answers simply.

"For who?"

"For a certain hedgehog. He asked me to meet him here. Funny, isn't it? The fastest creature on Mobius always seems to be the slowest when it comes to arriving to…meetings or planned dates. Anything with the word planned in front of it, as a matter of fact seems to run through his mind as something he can show up at 'any time'."

"Oh."

"Oh…" She smiles slightly. "Are you waiting too, Tails?"

"Yeah…or I was."

"You know, honey, when I'm waiting I always like to play a little game. You see that person over there? Let's suppose he-he's waiting too. He's waiting for-for…who should he be waiting for, Tails?"

"It's rude to talk about people behind their backs, Aunt Sally."

She frowns at me again. "I'm not talking about him behind his back, Tails. I-I'm making up a story about his life. He's only the inspiration. He's my fictional character; he could anything from my knight in shining armor to my…my plumber. "

"Or he could be your plumber who wants to be your knight in shining armor…" I offer with a small smile.

"Right, sweetie. Let's say that. He's my plumber who would like to be my knight in shining armor. Every night he goes to bed wondering why on Mobius he has these feelings and whether it's a mistake…"

"What's a mistake?"

"Having them in general. He wonders what it'd be like to be a plain plumber who did his work without-without a second thought. He wonders why I'm so different than the rest. He wonders, sweetie, but he doesn't know…"

"Who does?"

"No one, that's who."

"If No One was a person, do you think he'd tell us too?"

"I-I don't know, sweetie. I like to imagine he would."

"How about the plumber meets No One and-and No One tells him that-that he's wasting his time?"

"Why would he be wasting his time, Tails?"

"Because No One would say that-that you might not feel the same way about him and that you don't care at all."

"That wouldn't be true, Tails. I'd always care."

"Well, what if you didn't?"

"And what if I did? What if I was too shy to show it? What if I dreamed of him too?"

"You wouldn't because you have Sonic…"

She smiles. "You can love more than one person, Tails. Love knows no boundaries, remember? Our entire world is built up of love. And what would happen if we ran out of it? We wouldn't live, Tails. We wouldn't live because-because we need love."

"We can live without love."

"I don't think so. I need it. I wake up everyday knowing someone loves me. I wake up everyday knowing I love everyone else. Love may be one of the strongest words in the language, Tails, but I feel it. I love Mobius. I love the people in it. I love the people I've met. I love the strangers I haven't. I love some more than others, but in a way, I love them all. I couldn't go on without a little love back. I couldn't go on if I didn't give any love in general. Love isn't measured by the number of valentines you receive, Tails. Love isn't measured by the number of kisses some-some girl gives you or the amount of smiles a stranger gives you as they pass by. What love is measured by is what's in your-what's in your heart, Tails. It's measured by the moments of your life you live with a smile on your face. It's measured by the moments of life that keep you warm at night. It's measured by the people who make you feel…feel like you are something rather than another-another number in a census. It's measured by the number of stars at night that twinkled down on you. Mobius is built of love, honey. Without love, I wouldn't exist and you wouldn't either. So many people love you, Tails. I-and even if Fiona isn't one of them know that…that I always will be. I love you, Miles Prower and that'll never change…no matter what happens."

"I-I love you too, Aunt Sally…but that still doesn't change the fact I didn't get a valentine this year."

"Valentine's Day isn't over yet, sweetie." She smiles fondly at me. I smile back. "You never know who your valentine might really be."

A sonic boom is heard in the distance and she stands up. "Happy Valentine's Day, Tails. I-if you ever need me, you-you know where to find me. I'll always be waiting for you there, sweetie."

A blue hedgehog appears in front of her with a cheesy grin. He takes her paw and waved at me. "Yo 'lil bro! Havin' a good Valentine's Day?"

"I am now…" I finish, watching them walk into the park. In his right paw, I spot something glitter. A diamond peeks out from inside his white glove, sparkling under the streetlight. But that wasn't the only thing shining in the spotlight. In my lap there laid a luminous red heart. Written in silver pen were the words 'Be my valentine, Miles Prower'.