So, yeah, this particular chapter takes place about five and a half years after the previous one. Also, it gets a little suggestive in some moments. Just a heads up.
It was a quiet morning at the Mystic Ruins. The gentle summer wind was rustling the grass growing beneath a seaside cliff, the waves were occasionally crashing against the shore and the foot of the aforementioned cliff, the sky was a lovely blue with the occasional clouds, and the sun was shining brightly, but the weather wasn't too hot. In other words, it was the perfect summer weather.
Cosmo woke up and yawned, stretching, as she soon noticed that Tails wasn't sleeping next to her – lately, the two were sleeping in the same bed again, so the young seedrian had gotten used to seeing her foxy boyfriend sleeping next to her in the morning, or at least getting woken up by him running off to his workshop. This morning, however, the kitsune had apparently managed to sneak out of bed without waking Cosmo.
The plantgirl sighed and stood up from the bed, walking over to the full-body mirror on the opposite wall. Cosmo and Tails had been living together for six years already, and today was the seedrian's eighteenth birthday. And her body definitely showed – she was definitely taller than before, and even her curves were even more noticeable, but the main feature that indicated her adolescence, however, were the two red roses on the side of her head – previously, they were blooming just barely, but right now, they were in full bloom, and they certainly looked lovely – in fact, Tails often complimented the plantgirl on them.
"Well, now's not the time for self-admiration." – Cosmo thought as she exited the bedroom and made her way over to the bathroom, the door of which was left wide open, which indicated that it was used recently.
Taking a quick shower, Cosmo thought over the events that happened up to this day.
First, there was Sonic finally proposing to Amy. It may have taken the blue hedgehog some time to admit his feelings, but in the end, Amy got what she wanted. For a lack of better way of saying it, that came completely out of the blue – when Cosmo and Tails were out on a double date with the two, they got ditched for a few moments, and next thing the plantgirl knew, her pink hedgehog friend came running back to them, crying tears of joy and saying how what she was waiting for has finally happened.
Then there were Knuckles and Shade. The two echidnas were rather obvious with their feelings, even if their displays of affection towards each other were a bit different – be it Shade jabbing her red-furred boyfriend in the shoulder, or Knuckles giving his terracotta-colored girlfriend quite the verbal comeback in certain situations. In other words, the two pretty much defined the softer side of the saying "love hurts". It was only fair that Knuckles went on to propose to Shade a few years ago. Given the fact that Tails and Cosmo never went on any double dates with the two, the seedrian only got to know about the two echidnas' engagement by word.
Heck, it seemed like the past few years were all good things. Well, there was one bittersweet moment – it was that one last battle against Dr. Eggman. The man's desperation didn't do him much good in that battle – Sonic managed to not only take his latest machine out, but also made sure he wouldn't escape by knocking him unconscious, and as a result, the police arrived pretty soon and Eggman was sent over to some high-security prison. The bitter part came from the fact that, as bad as Ivo was, that scientist wasn't entirely trouble – he did help Sonic and the others save the world on a few occasions after all. As for Robotnik's lab? Tails took some time to salvage the supplies from there, and he certainly gone wild with them, using them to upgrade his Cosmic Tornado plane even further.
Cosmo couldn't help but giggle as she remembered how she would come over to the workshop and help Tails out in one way or another – she came by for a few minutes to leave her boyfriend some food because he often skipped lunch or dinner, and only left after a few hours either because she was rather interested in this particular field of work, because she decided to give Tails a massage after the fox spent a bit too much time in uncomfortable work
conditions, or she just wanted to spend some time with her foxy boyfriend.
Speaking of Tails…Cosmo thought once more about how the kitsune matured over the years. He certainly was taller, and even had a bit more muscle tone to his body, and overall, he looked like quite the handsome young mobian. The seedrian couldn't help but blush as she continued thinking about her foxy boyfriend.
"He promised that he would propose to me someday. I know that sounds as naïve as it can get, but I'm sure he'll keep his promise." – Cosmo thought as she left the shower and went back to her bedroom to get dressed.
Sighing, the plantgirl went over to the bedside drawer, took out the pieces of her usual dress – back when Cosmo felt like her old dress was getting too small for her and couldn't compensate with its stretchiness due to the plantgirl already growing out of it, she had requested some help from Amy in creating a replica of the dress that would be more fitting. The dress was replicated almost completely in a different size, except for one small change – the plantgirl actually switched her tights out for a pair of white stockings. While it didn't have the same stretching and self-repairing properties, it still allowed Cosmo to fall slower. Although replicating that particular feature of her dress was incredibly problematic – when the third "test drive" turned out to be successful, Amy swore off of clothes making once and for all.
Now that Cosmo had gotten dressed, she looked over herself in the mirror once again and sighed.
"I wonder where Tails had gone off to…" – The seedrian remarked as she went to exit the bedroom and descended downstairs, into the living room. Not seeing Tails anywhere, the seedrian decided to just go on with her usual routine and proceeded into the kitchen. As she looked in the fridge for the ingredients for a meal, imperceptibly to her, Tails snuck out of a particular corner and then sneaked over to her. Just as Cosmo was about to turn around, the kitsune hugged her from behind and remarked: "Do you remember what day it is?"
"Not really. Care to enlighten me?" – Cosmo asked in a soft voice, as she already gotten used to Tails sometimes sneaking up on her like this.
"Did you really forget your own birthday, my sweet rose?"
The seedrian giggled at her boyfriend's words. Yep, recently, the fox has been getting quite a bit more romantic, and even began calling her pet names like "sweet rose", "lovely flower" and others. Not that the plantgirl minded – after all, in seedrian culture, pet names like those were considered the best form of compliment.
"With all that's been going on recently…Yes, I may have." – The plantgirl turned her head just enough so that the mobian could kiss her on the lips, which he did. The kiss was a relatively short-lived one, but it was rather passionate.
"Well then, I better get to the preparations. Calling the guests, getting the table ready, all the usual matters…" – And when Tails had gone far enough from his girlfriend, he muttered: "As well as the proposal."
Yes, Tails was definitely planning to propose to Cosmo on her eighteenth birthday. He had planned everything at least a month in advance, if the change to his usual contract schedule was of any indication. The kitsune was actually saving up money so that he wouldn't mess up when it came to choosing the ring for his proposal. Or rather, he intended to choose a ring at first…
(Flashback, a week or so ago.)
Tails sighed as he looked at the clock on his PDA. 17:50, ten minutes before the jewelry store he was in was about to close. As much as the kitsune continued to look over the different rings on display, he still didn't like any of them – either because some of them seemed too cheap, wouldn't look good on Cosmo, or both.
"Sir, are you going to choose anything today?" – The store clerk, a black and gray badger-mobian, asked in an impatient tone. – "We'll be closing in ten minutes."
"Sure, just a moment." – Tails replied off-handedly. After some gear-shifting, the kitsune remembered what Cosmo mentioned a few years ago. Of course! Why would he have to propose the Mobian way? What better way to propose than to do it in a way much more fitting for Cosmo's heritage and traditions? Now the only thing left was to choose a proper diadem. Well, that's where Tails didn't take long – a silver diadem adorned with four small oval-chiseled sapphires and one larger sapphire of the same shape in the middle seemed like the perfect choice.
"Five minutes 'till closing, sir." – The clerk remarked.
"Actually…How much is this one?"
(Flashback ends.)
Tails looked over the hiding compartment where he had stuffed the box with the diadem. Expensive? Sure, that thing was worth as much as the combined payment from several larger contracts. A bit too vain? Maybe. And yet Tails thought it would look lovely on Cosmo. Putting the case with the diadem back into the desk, the kitsune sighed and remarked: "Today's the day, Miles. There's no better time to propose to Cosmo than during her eighteenth birthday. Just make sure this day goes the right way."
And with that, Tails took out his cellphone and called in everyone else.
The remainder of the day up until late afternoon went by in preparation for Cosmo's birthday party – first, there was the usual matter of getting a proper birthday cake. Tails figured that a mostly green cake decorated with red cream roses would be the right choice – simple, but still appealing in both looks and taste. Inviting guests wasn't that much of a problem, either – Sonic, Amy, Knuckles and Shade weren't preoccupied with anything, Cream also had a day off, heck, even Charmy didn't have any assignments to work with today. The most important part, however…
Tails laid out a plan of the chain of events for today. The guests come over, everyone gives Cosmo her gifts, Tails tells Cosmo that she will get her gift later, then makes sure everyone is too preoccupied, sneaks off into the workshop, comes back with the diadem and proposes to Cosmo. That was the plan.
At the moment, Tails was waiting until the guests arrived. Of course, everyone kind of arrived at their own pace – naturally, Sonic came over first, with Amy trailing not too far behind. Cream and Charmy weren't in any particular hurry, but they arrived not too long after the two came over to the place. And finally, Knuckles and Shade came over last.
The guests…Haven't really changed that much over the years, except for maybe Charmy and Cream, given the fact that the two were getting into their late teens – while Charmy didn't change all that much, maybe getting a bit taller and having slightly longer black hair, and actually getting a proper clothing style – wearing something resembling a pilot jacket, pilot goggles, short blue jeans and brown boots – the same could not be said for Cream – the rabbit girl has gotten taller and a bit curvier, definitely taking after her mother, and her voice wasn't sounding so high-pitched anymore. But back to the events at hand…
"Well…Now that we're all here, guess it's only fair that Cosmo gets to open her gifts?" – Tails asked, as everyone handed over the various wrapped gifts to Cosmo. First in line was Amy – the two did get on a more friendly note recently. The package's rather incriminating shape easily suggested that Amy gave Cosmo new lingerie as a gift.
"Amy…Was that really necessary?" – Cosmo asked, not unwrapping the gift, as she blushed and smiled in embarrassment.
"Hey, Tails is staring at you nonstop when you're around anyway. Might as well give him even more of a reason to." – The pink hedgehog whispered to the seedrian. Then, in a louder voice, she added: "I was starting to get bored of getting you plant seeds anyway. Happy birthday, Cosmo!"
Cosmo sighed and put the gift aside. "What a way to start out." – She thought. Up next was a gift from Shade – a rather unusual-looking bracelet that seemed a lot like the one Shade wore most of the time.
"Just press that rune over here and you'll see." – The terracotta-colored echidna said about the gift. Cosmo quietly complied, and the bracelet quickly turned into an arm cannon of sorts.
"You might not want to clench your fist when it's in "Battle Mode" unless you're actually fighting, as it…" – Unfortunately, Cosmo realized this a bit too late, and the cannon shot out a blast of magenta energy, which busted right through the window, breaking the glass. – "Ahem…As it is how you actually fire it. Just press the rune over here again to turn it back into a bracelet." – Shade pressed the rune she was pointing at, and soon the arm cannon turned back into an ordinary-looking bracelet.
That was certainly an unusual gift. Shade only had this to say on the matter: "You're walking around unarmed all the time, figured you might need some way of self-defense."
Cosmo shrugged and remarked: "Well, even if I won't need any form of self-defense, that bracelet still looks really nice. Thank you, Shade."
"Hey, it's no big deal. While this isn't actually anywhere close to Nocturnus technology, it's still quite a faithful replica. Happy birthday, Cos!" – With that, Shade lightly nudged Cosmo in the shoulder.
Next was Cream's gift. The rabbit girl hesitated for a bit before handing Cosmo a relatively medium-sized wrapped box. Inside it was a bunch of various cosmetics used for makeup – eyeliner, mascara, there was even a dark green lipstick thrown into the mix.
"A little something for that extra appeal." – Cream remarked. – "While I'm all up about natural beauty, if one doesn't overdo it with makeup, then it only serves to enhance said beauty further. Happy birthday, Cosmo!" – The rabbit even went as far as to give the seedrian a friendly hug. During the brief moments of their hug, Cream whispered: "No hard feelings."
"Well then…" – Tails almost blew his cover as he was about to say what he wanted to give to Cosmo, but instead said: "I've also got a gift for you, Cosmo, but you'll have to wait for a while until I can get it."
"Betting a hundred rings he's gonna propose to her." – Knuckles whispered to Shade.
"Bet accepted." – The terracotta-colored echidna whispered back. Luckily for the two, nobody heard them.
And with that, the remainder of the party went on. No drinks – soft or alcoholic alike – or snacks were spared, and the music was also well-liked by everyone, too.
"Okay, Tails, time for the next stage of your plan. The guests are going to stay for quite a while, and they're all distracted with talking to each other." – Tails thought, and then snuck off out of the living room and into his workshop. Now the main part was to get the diadem case.
However, looking around, Tails noticed that the case wasn't in the drawer where he left. Or rather, it was nowhere to be found, for that matter.
"Oh, come on, Miles! How could you lose something so important like this?!" – After a few minutes of searching, Tails had accidentally stumbled upon the very same box he was looking for. – "A genius? Maybe. An absent-minded genius? So very much." – Tails thought, and soon picked the box up. Just when he was about to head on back to the living room, he heard Cream's voice from behind him saying: "So, that box looks like it was designed for jewelry. And it's too big for a ring. But somehow, I'm getting the feeling that you are going to propose to Cosmo anyway. Was a ring not enough?"
Tails turned around, and sure enough, the familiar rabbit was standing not too far away from him, behind him.
"Well…You see…I just…I wanted to make sure the proposal is…"
"That you propose according to the customs and traditions of Cosmo's kind." – Cream smiled. – "She is very lucky to have such a thoughtful fiancé."
Tails sighed, and remarked: "Look, Cream, I understand if you still feel left out, and-"
"Hey, cheer up, Miles. Today's the big day. I'm not feeling left out – I'm happy for both of you. Even though I've had some feelings for you… I understand that you will be much happier with Cosmo. Go for it, I'll cover you up."
The kitsune smiled and replied: "Okay, I will. Just make sure nobody notices the package too early."
Soon enough, the two made their way back to the living room – Tails hid the package in a convenient spot first, while Cream kept everyone else distracted. And soon enough…
"I'd like to make an important announcement!" – Tails said, and everyone else turned to face him.
"Fifty more rings to the bet." – Knuckles remarked.
"Nope, the bets are static." – Shade replied, nudging him into the shoulder. As for Tails, he walked over to Cosmo, and, still holding the box behind his back, he said: "Cosmo, remember what I said about my gift? Well, I have something to say first."
"Hey, that box is-" – Sonic didn't get to finish his sentence, as Cream and Amy both said: "Don't ruin the moment!"
"Cosmo, we've been together for more than six years now. And…Looking at you, you're nothing like that scared little girl you were when we first met, ten years ago. The four years of your absence were the worst of my life, and the six years that I spent with you were the best. However, I will see to it that we spend much, much more time together." – With that said, Tails took out the diadem case, and took the silver diadem out of it. – "Cosmo…Will you marry me?"
The plantgirl had a strange mix of confusion and shock on her face. Sonic had a somewhat questioning look on his face, Amy was rapidly repeating: "Don'trefusedon'trefusedon'trefuse…" and held her hands together, Cream was trying to keep her calm, but there was still a shade of anxiety to her look, Knuckles and Shade were both looking in the direction of Tails and Cosmo, and heck, even Charmy, who was practically flying underneath the ceiling of the room, began descending very slowly, looking in the same direction.
Even Tails was beginning to get some wrong thoughts. "Well, it's not like she will knock the diadem out of my hands and shout something out in anger. And it's not going to be the end of the world if she refuses, either…"
"Tails…" – Cosmo finally spoke up, getting everyone even more on edge. – "I…Don't even know what to say…It's very nice of you to go as far as to propose not by Mobian customs, but by the customs of my own kind…" – The seedrian's sky blue eyes were getting teary, and a smile formed on her lips. – "I…Of course I agree, Tails! I will marry you!"
Sonic, Amy and Cream let out a sigh of relief, Knuckles nudged Shade in the shoulder and shouted: "Aha! You owe me a hundred rings now!", the terracotta-colored echidna replied: "You do realize we're sharing money all the time and thus this bet won't change anything?", and Charmy returned back to flying circles under the ceiling, albeit for a different reason now.
As for the two lovers… Tails gently placed the silver diadem on Cosmo's head, and she hugged the fox as tightly as she could, still crying tears of joy.
It was decided – the union of two souls that belonged to different realms of life was going to happen after all. (Was that the cheesiest line I've ever written or what? – A/N)
It was late evening. The party was long over, Tails and Cosmo had taken care of their usual evening routine, and were now lying in bed next to each other.
"Tails, to be honest…I kind of wished that you would propose to me as soon as you could. But I didn't expect that you would go as far as to propose by seedrian customs instead of the ones used on this planet…" – Cosmo remarked, readjusting her position on the bed to get a little closer to Tails.
"Heh. You mentioned it off-handedly at some point when we were talking about some of your kind's traditions, and I kind of took a mental note on this. I caught you off-guard here, didn't I?" – The kitsune replied, hugging his seedrian fiancée with his right hand while caressing her hair with his left.
"Maybe by just a bit." – The plantgirl said, giving Tails a light kiss. The fox blushed at this. Considering that, right now, Cosmo had nothing but her new green frilled lingerie on, the kitsune couldn't help but reach a little lower with his left hand. The plantgirl noticed this and gently moved Tails' hand away, remarking: "Not until we're officially married. I didn't know you can be so impatient."
"Okay, okay, I wasn't seriously intending on going too far." - The mobian remarked, nervously giggling. As for Cosmo, she smiled and sighed, remarking: "It's alright, Tails. Just please, wait until all the formalities are said and done, and then we'll get to it as soon as we can."
"Well, we'll be done with that tomorrow. For now, let's just go to sleep." – And with that said, Tails reached to switch off the desk lamp and afterwards he and Cosmo closed their eyes, falling asleep. The two definitely needed quite a bit of sleep – after all, there were a lot of preparations for the wedding up ahead to take care of…
Well...Figured I might as well go for my take on this premise. I'll try not to stretch this part too much in terms of chapters and chapter size, I promise :P