Sonic was not in the greatest of moods, as, once again, under the orders of a doctor, he had to take it easy. Taking a missile to the chest isn't an incident most people would walk away from, so he wasn't surprised, but it had been two weeks since the fight with Eggman, and he was getting restless. He'd probably re-read the latest issue of Ciao, Chao! fifteen times already, and he was the main topic, for crying out loud!

Of course, he had the company of his fiancé almost constantly, so it wasn't all bad. At this exact moment, Miles was keeping himself busy in the workshop, so he probably wouldn't be seeing much of his favourite fox today.

There was a knock at the door. When Sonic finally got to opening it, he was greeted by a very unexpected visitor.

"Charmy? What brings you here?"

"I was just in the area and thought I'd stop in. We haven't spoken in a while." The way that he kept rubbing his arm, and the fact that his eyes were looking everywhere but at him, made Sonic think there was more to this visit, but he decided to play along.

"You're right about that! Well, come on in. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Just some water would be fine."

"No problem. Tails is in the workshop if you want to go get him."

"Sure." Then, after a second. "How do I get into the workshop?"

"Just go through the door to the right of the T.V."

Eventually, the bee and the rather dirty fox re-entered the house, right as Sonic came through with three glasses of water.

"Make yourself at home, Charmy." This was Tails. "I'm gonna go get a shower. I'm sure you can keep our guest entertained solo, right Sonic?"

"I'll try my best!" Sonic, being the devil that he was, walked over to give his fiancé a quick peck on the cheek, before adding, "Don't take too long, or I might be tempted to join you in there!" The hedgehog winked, sticking his tongue out at his favourite fox, who was now blushing profusely. Sonic couldn't help but chuckle at the reaction, before ruffling the fur on Tails' head. Without another word, Tails turned around to head to the bathroom, leaving Sonic and a Charmy alone in the living room.

"So, how are the rest of the Entropy Eyes keeping these days?"

"We're pretty good. Mighty and Ray are currently away on a mission to Chun-nan, leaving Espio and me running the more local stuff."

"You guys are going international now? Good for you!"

"Yeah. That was actually one of the reasons I came round. I was gonna ask Tails to build us an ENTRO-P.I. plane. Mighty doesn't really like airports."

"I don't think anyone likes airports, Charmy. I'm sure Miles would be happy to build something, but I think both of us are more focused on the wedding."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I suppose I should say congratulations, then!"

"Thanks. And, since you're here, I'll say that everyone at Entro is invited. We haven't finalised the date or the location yet, but we'll be sure to let everyone know as soon as we have."

"Cool. I'll let them know."

They kept chatting like that for a few more minutes until a much cleaner Tails joined them. Charmy asked about the plane, and of course Tails agreed, as long as the detectives didn't mind waiting. He'd get the specs sorted at a later date. Then, at last, Sonic's curiosity got the better of him, and he had to find out what the bee wasn't telling them.

"Hey, Charmy?"

"Yeah?"

"You and I both know that you didn't just come here to ask about that plane, so what's up?"

Charmy blushed, and that was all the evidence Sonic needed.

"Ah. So it's a love thing? Right?"

Now Tails was looking at the poor bee, with an evil smirk on his face.

"Ooooh, spicy! Who is it that caught your eye? Someone we know?"

Seeing no point in denying it anymore, Charmy simply nodded. The two fiancés chuckled again.

"You gonna tell us who? Is it Cream?"

"N-No. It's… R-Ray."

The chuckling stopped, but the smiles remained. Sonic spoke up again.

"Ah. I see. Does he know?"

"No."

"Do they know you're gay?"

"No, and honestly, I didn't realise it myself until recently."

"How did you find out?"

"I dunno. It was just a feeling, I guess. It kinda just clicked when I realised just how much I missed him. How much I still miss him."

Tails, who was sharing the sofa with Charmy, leaned over to give his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"You should tell him. You never know, he might feel the same."

"But, what if he doesn't? I don't wanna risk losing him."

"You won't. If he's a true enough friend, you won't."

There was silence in the room as Charmy mulled it over.

"Ok. I'll talk to him. Thanks guys."

"No problem. And, if you're really nervous, you could always talk to Espio about it, too. He seems like he'd be a good listener."

"Yeah, I might just do that. Thanks again."

"Any time, Charmy. Be sure to let us know how it goes!"

"I will."

As if on cue, Charmy's communicator beeped.

"Looks like I have to go, guys. Espio's looking for me."

"No problem. It was nice to see you. Say hi to everyone from us!"

"I will. Thanks for everything!"

CIAO, CHAO!

CELEBRITY NEWS & GOSSIP

RINGS AND WEDDING BELLS: SONIC AND TAILS PREPARE TO TIE THE KNOT!

Get your minds out of the gutter, people! Not that kind of 'tying the knot'! It seems the sounds of church bells are imminent in the lives of our two favourite heroes: Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles 'Tails' Prower. After a rather eventful proposal, involving a trip to Hill Top which ended with an appearance and long-awaited defeat of Dr. Eggman, the couple have announced that their union is on the horizon. Details about the wedding are still scarce, but the couple have hinted that the big day will likely be happening within the next few months. With the couple resting at their beach home, to allow Sonic time to recover from injuries received during that battle with Eggman, it has been difficult to reach them for comment, but we were able to get in touch with their wedding planner, the suave seductress, Rouge the Bat, who mentioned that everything was on schedule and that with the help of her team, including Amy Rose on flowers, she is certain that the happy couple will be satisfied with the end result.

Of course, there is still plenty of opposition. Not everyone was happy with our homosexual heroes when they revealed themselves a decade ago, and there are still those who are sticking to their guns. The most notable opposers to this union are Vector the Crocodile, the former leader of the now disbanded Chaotix Detective Agency, and his wife, Vanilla the Rabbit. These feelings are obviously not shared by the younger Rabbit in the family, however, as Cream the Rabbit has been confirmed as the catering manager for the wedding! Additionally, the , the detective agency formed by former Chaotix members, is quickly becoming one of the most successful agencies of its type, and they pride themselves on their open-mindedness and inclusivity, unlike their former boss! We tried to reach out to Vector or Vanilla for comment, but unsurprisingly, they refused.

We here at Ciao, Chao! wish Sonic a speedy recovery, and we will be sure to keep you all up-to-date on any new information about this wedding as it becomes available.

Vanilla didn't know why she kept reading this stupid magazine! All they ever seemed to talk about was this Chaos-forsaken relationship! Not to mention how they kept vilifying her and her husband for disliking it! She had every right to be against it! She had even considered writing an angry letter to the editor of the magazine, but she didn't want to give them any fodder.

Of course, she realised that it was the unpopular opinion. She had lost pretty much every friend she'd ever known because of this, as had Vector. She'd even lost her daughter. The two Rabbits hadn't spoken since she moved away, and any time their paths crossed in public, Cream would go out of her way to avoid her mother. Vector was the only constant presence she had in her life now, especially since his former colleagues had walked out on him, just as Cream had walked out on her.

She would often think back to the conversation she had had with Amy at the start of Sonic and Tails' relationship, and a small part of her wished she had listened to her back then. That part was a couple of inches below her left knee. The rest of her was stubborn enough to stick to her own beliefs. So, that's what she had done.

And it had cost her almost everything.

Granted, she knew she wasn't alone. She had Vector, and there were a few more acquaintances scattered around Mobius who shared her beliefs, but they were few and far between. She only really interacted with them when they attended protests at pride parades, but Vanilla was reserved enough that she didn't attend all that many. Vector, on the other hand, was a bit more active about it. Vanilla had lost her friends, yes, but Vector had lost his friends and his career. He couldn't even find jobs as a DJ anywhere, because most businesses where a DJ would be relevant were accepting enough to allow the homosexuals, and his homophobic reputation preceded him. The protests were the only excuse he really had to get him out of the house, so he was a fairly frequent appearance at them.

The sun was beginning to set, so Vanilla decided it was about time for a nice evening stroll. Vector was busy with his best friend (the television), so as usual, Vanilla would be walking solo.

It didn't take long for the glares to start. Most people in her neighbourhood knew who she was, obviously, and most of them were firmly on Sonic and Tails' side. The sad truth was that she had gotten used to it by now, so she barely paid them any heed. Once again, that spot below her knee got her attention again, this time by making her subconsciously walk towards what used to be Tails' house. The building had fallen into disrepair, with the windows smashed, graffiti covering every visible wall and the roof simply didn't exist in some spots. The workshop area was faring a little better, but it certainly wasn't as structurally sound as it used to be. There were still old tools and plane parts in there, but most of them had rusted beyond recognition, so she was sure that Tails would never come back for them.

You did this.

She ignored the thought that suddenly popped into her head, and kept walking.

He left because of you.

Walking on, she managed to pass another location that she hadn't wanted to associate herself with for a while: the former home of Sonic the Hedgehog. This place was faring considerably better. Unlike Tails' house, Sonic's had been put on the market fairly soon after the couple decided they weren't going to return. Of course, there had been a lot of interest surrounding the home that once housed the famous hedgehog (now housing a family of chipmunks), but to Vanilla, it would only ever be the place where she found out about the relationship that had cost her her daughter.

She left because of you.

She stopped. These thoughts were nothing new to her. That small part of her had infected her mind with thoughts like these ever since Amy's chat, but she usually was able to ignore them

Usually.

Well, there's another chapter! I'm trying to keep them more frequent, so expect the next one fairly soon. I don't know where I'm planning to go with this Vanilla sub-plot, but I'm sure I'll figure it out! And, yes, I brought back Ciao, Chao! What can I say, I was happy with that title! I mean, you see how I end each for my Author's Notes! And, before you say anything, ciao can mean both hello and goodbye, like aloha! I had actually thought of making the title Chao for Now, but I like the one I ended up choosing.

My plan for this story is to end it within the next couple of chapters, which will take us to the end of ACT III, and then have a short epilogue to follow it up. My aim timewise is to end it either on Sonic's 31st anniversary (June 23rd), or finish it before then and do a short Sonic one-shot on that date, but I haven't decided yet. We'll just have to see.

Since the main meat of this story is drawing to a close, I'm also still debating whether or not I'll do an M-rated chapter and upload it as a separate story. If that's something you'd like to see, PM me about it, and if enough of you show interest, I'll definitely consider trying my hand at it!

Finally, this isn't an important detail, but I just wanted to point it out: according to Microsoft Word, excluding this Author's Note is exactly 2,000 words long! Completely by accident, I might add! I love it when stuff like that happens!

Thanks to AnyyDidi and pikachulover1234567891011 for the reviews, and thanks to aristene-silva for deeming me worthy of a follow! I guess that must mean I'm doing something right! Anyway, another long Author's Note, so that's enough rambling from me! Ciao for now!

OnTheSpectrum