A/n: Happy TyHil month everyone! I've been focusing more on making edits this year so only got the time to write this today. This is my entry for both Dawn and Morning themes. I know I always say I have a million AUs for TyHil in my head, and well half of them are about how they get married. So I already wrote a proposal oneshot last year (?), and this doesn't exactly feature a proposal, but everything that follows afterwards.

It's set in the AU where all my other favourite characters from Digimon and Pokemon are present too, along with my OC. In this verse Tyson and Taichi (Digimon) are fraternal twins.

You might get a vibe of a certain world famous sitcom from this, but that's because I've been rewatching it on repeat since September or so.

I hope you enjoy reading this!

Tale 35

- x -

He only caught a glimpse of the first streak of purple seeping through the dark sky before his attention was snapped back to the scene in front of him. Tyson realised that dawn was almost upon them and a sunrise signalling the start of a new day would follow soon. He should have been exhausted by now, groaning about not getting enough sleep, but when his eyes fell on the now twinkling stone resting on Hilary's finger a rush of excitement took over and every bit of tiredness left his body.

Who would've thought that just a few hours ago they'd been having the worst date of their lives and now they were engaged?

If he was being honest with himself, however, Tyson had never meant to propose to Hilary tonight.

No, that was something he still hadn't planned at all and yet tonight something clicked. Maybe it was how she had smiled reassuringly when the restaurant claimed that they'd not registered any reservation under his name tonight. Or perhaps it happened when she sat next to him in the cramped and dinghy ramen shop, tucking her hair back diligently before slurping loudly as she gulped down a bowlful of ramen without hesitation. It could have been when she agreed to have ice cream for dessert despite the chill in the air and only laughed loudly when through some miracle snow began to fall on a crisp November night. It definitely had something to do with how she didn't complain when his car broke down in the middle of an empty road and the towing service told him they'd only pick it up in the morning after the snow subsided. As they walked back home hand in hand, she hummed a happy tune as if the night had turned out exactly how she had expected it to.

That's when Tyson knew, that he'd made the right choice by carrying the ring around with him ever since he bought it.

Him getting down on one knee two blocks away from their apartment was probably the only thing Hilary hadn't expected to happen tonight, yet, she couldn't even wait for him to finish asking the question before she shouted yes and jumped into his arms.

And that's how he ended up awake at 4 AM, squished on the couch between his twin and his fiance, as their friends gathered around to get a closer look at the ring and to hear the story about how it happened.

"I still can't believe it, oh my god you guys!" Sora's voice almost cracked as she took Hilary's hand in hers to inspect the ring with awe.

Another flurry of congratulations and we're so happy for you mixed in with exclamations over the diamond ring rang through the living room. Hilary gently pulled her hand out of Sora's grasp and leaned back into the couch, her face was beaming with happiness at being the centre of attention and she could barely suppress the wide grin for more than a second as she gazed at her hand contently. Tyson tried his best to not laugh at how cute she looked fawning over the ring and basking in the praises that the two of them were being showered with.

"And it's such a beautiful ring too," Mimi said wistfully, her caramel eyes shined as she shifted her gaze upwards to smile at Hilary.

"Of course it is, I helped pick it after all!" As proud as Charlie looked with herself, her statement was not met with the enthusiasm she may have expected.

Tyson wasn't surprised by the sudden silence that followed, however, he'd known from the moment he'd asked Charlie to accompany him to the jewellery store a few months ago that when everyone else found out they were excluded from the plan, they wouldn't take it lightly. The first one to react was Taichi, having the advantage of sitting next to him, his brother punched his arm.

"You took Charlie with you and not me?" While Taichi's voice was tinged with a hint of hurt, the laidback smile on his face told Tyson that he didn't hold the supposed betrayal against him.

"I needed to make sure that Hils wouldn't find out," Tyson said, draping an arm around Hilary's shoulders as he inched closer towards her, in case his brother decided to change his mind and punch him for real.

"I'm great at keeping secrets!" Taichi responded with a pout.

"Yes, if keeping a secret means telling Sora something 10 seconds after you hear it." Yamato piped up from across the couch. The room observed a collective nod of agreement with some light chuckles as Taichi narrowed his eyes at the blond.

"I don't mind keeping a secret."

It was odd to see Kai chime into a conversation without being asked to, which left everyone else silent as they considered his words. It was no surprise, however, when Mimi was the one to break the silence with a zing, laughing loudly without reading the room.

"But your taste in jewellery is terrible!"

"That's not true!" Kai shot back immediately, taken aback by the accusation as if he'd never considered this possibility, "Charlie's never complained about any of my gifts-" He looked at his girlfriend for support but she turned her face away from him quickly and jumped up from her seat with exaggerated enthusiasm.

"What matters now is that you guys are engaged!" Charlie squealed, meeting Hilary's gaze as she completely ignored Kai's attempt to catch her eye. "I feel like we should be celebrating!" She threw the question at the room and it was difficult for anyone to disagree. From the corner of his eyes, Tyson noticed Charlie shoot a warning look in Mimi's direction when Kai wasn't looking and he shook his head at the sight, making a mental note to accompany his best friend the next time he decided to go gift shopping.

"Should we go out for drinks?" Taichi asked excitedly, turning to look at him and Hilary for their approval.

"At-" Yamato began to respond with annoyance before pausing to look at the time on his wristwatch, possibly for dramatic effect, "4 AM? Don't we all have jobs to get to in about 5 hours?"

"Okay, so how about you go home and get ready for work while the rest of us go out and celebrate the engagement?" Taichi scoffed, rolling his eyes at his friend's reaction.

"There's a bottle of champagne in my car downstairs," Kai stated loudly stopping both Taichi and Yamato's half-uttered insults, ensuring that the mood doesn't get swept away by an argument between the two.

The decision was made in an instant, glasses and snacks were pulled out of the cupboard as the champagne arrived and the gang gathered around in a circle with Tyson and Hilary in the centre. Tyson gently pushed the cork off the bottle, the popping sound was drowned out by the cheers and clapping of his friends. He picked up the glass to pour the first drink for Hilary, leaning down to kiss her cheek quickly and whispering I love you in her ear as he handed the drink to her. He watched with a smile as her cheeks turned a bright shade of red as the cheers were replaced by hooting but she still managed to say it back to him. After another flurry of emotional well-wishes and congratulations filled the air everyone grabbed a glass full of champagne for themselves before settling back in their places around the living room. The silence as all of them sipped on their drinks was oddly relaxing, Tyson almost wanted to down his entire glass in one go and call it a night then and there but his friends had other plans.

"Well, you know what it is they say about a perfect wedding." Mimi interrupted the silence by setting down her now half-empty glass on the coffee table in front of her, an excited gleam overtaking her eyes as she looked directly at Hilary.

"What do they say about a perfect wedding?" Yamato's low yet sarcastic whisper did not go unheard by anyone in the room.

Tyson had to stifle a laugh as the brunette still managed to ignore the statement and instead pulled up the large tote bag she had carried with her tonight from the floor and gently set it down on the table. He had been slightly curious when Mimi arrived lugging this bag on her shoulder an hour ago, considering how no one else had bothered to bring anything with them at such short notice. Now the mystery was finally solved as she pulled out a hefty looking white and pink coloured binder that had something written on it with silver glitter which Tyson couldn't see from where he was sitting. Yamato however, got a perfect look at the title since he was settled on the floor next to Mimi, and almost doubled over from trying to keep himself from laughing.

"It's never too late to start planning," Mimi said, patting the binder with determination and completely ignoring Yamato's reaction as she picked it up and leaned over on her knees to hand it to Hilary.

When Hilary rested the binder in her lap and Tyson finally got to see the title, he understood Yamato's reaction but somehow he couldn't bring himself to feel the same way as his fiance started to flip through the carefully compiled pages. He caught a glimpse of something about a horse carriage entrance and how much it costs which reminded him of the number of zeroes in his bank account, rather the lack thereof. He swallowed a nervous gulp when he glanced at Hilary and found her looking over the details with concentration. Tyson had known that eventually the two of them would need to sit down and have a conversation about things like their finances and budget, but he had hoped that tonight, he would just get to enjoy the feeling of being engaged to Hilary.

"This binder has everything you need to know about how to organise a wedding," Mimi spoke up proudly puffing out her chest as almost everyone in the room came forward to get a look at her hard work. "I've been working on it since I was in sixth grade or something."

"Yet your parents were surprised that you didn't want to go to medical school," Yamato muttered dryly, earning a few laughs and snickers from the room.

"Venues, dresses, catering, décor, it has details on everything, categorised by theme." Mimi continued unfazed by the blond's words she kept her gaze fixed on Hilary, "Of course, I made sure to update the prices as per the latest market rate."

"And you still found time to colour your hair pink?" Yamato feigned surprise which led to Taichi and Charlie laughing out loud and this Mimi could not ignore. She turned to glare at Yamato, who to no one's surprise quickly inched away from her.

"This is amazing Mimi chan!" Hilary finally looked up from the handmade catalogue, much to Tyson's relief. She might have heard the sigh that escaped his lips because she quickly set the binder on the table face down so the glittery title, 'The Perfect Wedding for The Perfect Girl', was hidden from sight, "Thank you so much for sharing this with me, it means a lot." Hilary smiled brightly at Mimi, saving Yamato from her murderous gaze just in time.

"You're welcome! I hope this helps you make the right choice, by the way," Mimi said sweetly, returning the smile, that somehow seemed to convey a heavier meaning that Tyson couldn't catch.

"What do you mean? What choice?" Hilary looked as confused as him as she furrowed her brows and leaned forward.

"Why your Maid of Honour pick of course! Which one of us will it be?" Mimi announced her question happily but the effect of her words made the air in the room go cold.

Suddenly three pairs of eyes locked down on Hilary like a hawk, waiting with bated breath to hear her answer. Tyson who, unfortunately, was sitting next to his fiance and thus subjected to the unblinking stares found himself sinking lower into the couch to avoid being in the line of sight. Hilary let out a nervous chuckle and reached for his hand for support, grasping onto it tightly before she carefully picked out her response.

"I think it's a little too soon to discuss this, no? We haven't even decided on a date yet."

"You're absolutely right, Hils. I don't want you to feel pressured by this so soon, anyway," Charlie said, sending a smirk in Mimi's direction.

"And this really isn't that difficult a choice to make." Sora laughed, gulping down the last of her champagne with ease.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Charlie, who was sprawled across the armrest of the couch Sora was sitting on, straightened up as she leaned forward to scowl at the auburn haired girl.

"Who do you think Tyson is going to pick as his Best Man?" Sora scoffed, rolling her eyes upwards as if this wasn't something she thought she would need to explain to anyone.

"He could pick Kai! Kai is his best friend-"

"Taichi is his brother."

"Oh, so you think that you have the upper hand as the brother's girlfriend?"

"Might I remind both of you," Mimi interrupted the argument in a loud voice, "that I've already proven what a great job I would do if I was picked." She pointed towards the binder of nightmares lying at the table with a smug smile on her face.

"Oh yeah, sure your elementary school scrapbooking puts you above me picking out the actual engagement ring." Charlie folded her arms across her chest and shot Mimi a challenging glare.

"Why don't you just do a contest?"

Kai surprised them all by speaking out of turn for the second time that night. The room's attention turned towards him and he met Hilary's curious gaze with his usual deadpan expression.

"A contest?" Hilary asked, her voice a little quiet as she was probably trying to avoid coming back into the focus as technically she hadn't answered Mimi's question yet.

"Yeah, just give them a few tasks to do related to the wedding and see who performs the best. Everyone wins fair and square," Kai said, completely unaware of the three pairs of angry glares directed at him as he spoke.

Charlie and Sora looked the most upset by his statement, Tyson assumed that the two thought they were closest to Hilary and wouldn't really need to do anything extra to be appointed as her Maid of Honour, but now thanks to Kai's suggestion, which Hilary was understandingly nodding along to, the two girls were at risk of losing against not just each other but Mimi, and if Hilary decided to be her kind self, Misty and Hikari as well.

"That sounds like a good idea," Hilary responded, perking up slightly. One glance at the sulking faces of her girlfriends told her however, that it was time to change the topic so the happy moment wouldn't slip away from them so soon, "But let's go out and celebrate first, we'll have plenty of time to discuss these things later." She waved a dismissing hand in the air and quickly turned to Tyson and Taichi for support. They understood her pleading queue and instantly sat up with enthusiasm, garnering the attention of everyone with their over excited reactions.

"I found a place that's open!" Sora almost shrieked a minute later, tapping away at her phone as she continued to speak fast, "Breakfast buffet with an open bar, entry starts at 6 AM." She looked up at Hilary for approval, and when the latter nodded, she went back to scrolling on her phone, a frown settling on her face as she scanned the text on the screen, "Oh, it's in Roppongi which isn't far but it says formal wear only."

"Well, it makes sense to dress up to celebrate something this big, right?"

Hilary's question was not met with any resistance, everyone started to finish their drinks and finalise the little details like where they should all meet after getting ready and who should carpool with whom, Sora called the restaurant and made a reservation smugly as both Charlie and Mimi looked on with disappointment, apparently the contest had already started among the girls. It was a bit amusing to watch how they were all deep in thought over what they could do next to win Hilary's favour. If Tyson had the chance to be in his fiance's shoes, he would have had so much fun manipulating the guys into doing all his chores and errands throughout the months leading up to the wedding. But he could tell that Hilary on the other hand, was dreading the decision that now loomed over her head in the form of three very determined women.

"Just so you know Hils, I texted Misty and she's going to Ash's dorm to check if he's awake. They'll try to make it there by 6:30 AM," Mimi said, turning up her nose slightly in Sora and Charlie's direction.

"I was just thinking about calling her, ugh!" Charlie groaned as she got up from her seat and slung her tiny bag across her shoulder. Heading for the door, she stopped midway to pinch Kai's arm who let out a squeaky yelp at the sudden move, "This is all your fault, you know! Why don't you do a contest-" She mimicked Kai's stoic voice perfectly which earned her a laugh from both Taichi and Yamato. "I'm going to go get ready as quickly as possible, wouldn't want to show up late after all," she announced to the room before dashing out of the door. Her exit made Sora and Mimi get on their feet too as they quickly packed up their things and followed the blonde out after saying their rushed goodbyes.

Next to him, Hilary let out a relieved sigh, dropping her head on his chest after the door shut behind Mimi. Tyson chuckled at her reaction and snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. The guys seemed much more relaxed about getting ready on time and hung around for a little while longer, making sure that the champagne bottle they'd opened was emptied before they headed out.

"So are we going to wait until Hilary decides what the contest will be or are we placing the bets right now?" Kai asked with a smirk playing on his lips as he took the last sip of the bubbly from his glass.

"I'm going to tell Charlie you said that," Hilary finally lifted her head from Tyson's chest and turned to wink at Kai, "unless you buy us another bottle of that expensive champagne."

"I'll buy you five," Kai responded with a panicked look on his face, rubbing the spot on his arm where Charlie had pinched him earlier.

"Besides there is no competition," Yamato said, standing up from his position on the floor with his coat tucked under his hand. "Look at that," he pointed with vigour towards the thick, glittery binder still lying on their coffee table, "Mimi's got this in the bag."

"Now, wait here just a second!" Taichi gulped down the last of his champagne and fixed Yamato with a challenging glare, "Sora can easily leave a binder in the dust."

"I'm not sure if you two are familiar but," Kai butted in before Yamato could respond, "Charlie's settlement ratio as a lawyer is formidable, I'm sure she'll just convince Sora and Mimi to drop out before the contest even begins."

"Okay, get out all of you," Tyson finally spoke up, rolling his eyes at the sight of his friends continuing the argument on their girlfriends' behalf. "Go and get dressed!"

He nudged Taichi in the shoulder lightly, hoping to get his brother off the couch and on his feet so Kai too would feel inclined to leave. His trick worked and soon enough all three boys were out of their apartment and Hilary shut the door behind them, drowning out the voices of Taichi and Yamato still arguing in the hallway about who would perform better as a Maid of Honour between Sora and Mimi as they waited for the lift to arrive.

Hilary leaned against the door with her hands behind her back and met Tyson's eyes. For a moment they were both quiet and then they burst out laughing in sync. She moved towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her head on his chest once again with a wistful sigh escaping her lips.

"This is going to be a nightmare isn't it?"

"A bloodbath for sure," Tyson chuckled softly as he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Oh, the girls are going to crucify me!" Hilary groaned before resting her chin on his chest and peeking up at him with mischief brewing in her doe-like eyes, "Can't you pick my Maid of Honour, pretty please?"

"Hils, they haven't invented words for me to be able to express how much I truly love you," Tyson said with a grin. He leaned his head down to rub his nose against hers before laughing out loud, "But I will not be the judge of your Maid of Honour Squid Game, that's on you completely."

"I'm just going to write all their names on little pieces of paper and draw one randomly, leave it all to luck."

"I'd pay to watch their reaction to that."

Hilary shook her head as she laughed at his words, looking up at him again from under her lashes, her face seemed to soften the longer she kept his gaze.

"I suppose I should just be grateful for how much all three of them care about me," she said, sighing lightly.

"You know, you make it kind of hard to not love you."

She giggled at his words and he raised one hand to brush a few loose strands of hair away from her face. Ever since their friends had rushed into the apartment after hearing the news, Tyson realised he hadn't really gotten a chance to look at Hilary, to really look at her. Now with the first rays of morning light pouring into their living room, the comfortable silence of being alone with her and the sensation of her heartbeat picking up pace against his chest, he was reminded of just why he had chosen tonight to pop the question.

In fact, he almost felt like reprimanding himself for even waiting this long. There was nothing in his life that he wanted more than being able to spend every minute of it next to Hilary.

But for now, they were on a schedule as Hilary curtly reminded him.

"We should start getting ready too," she said, untangling her arms from around him.

However, Tyson was not ready to let go just yet.

He held her in place by tightening his grip around her waist, earning him a look of confused surprise from Hilary. He rested his forehead against hers and smirked when she sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes falling to his lips for a brief moment. Given all that happened tonight, the two should've been tired enough to fall on their faces and sleep, but instead, he felt a buzzing excitement race through their bodies the longer they stared at each other.

"We're allowed to be a little late, don't you think?" Tyson whispered against Hilary's cheek and felt her body shudder under his grasp.

"It shouldn't be a problem," Hilary mumbled, her lips quivering as he inched closer towards them.

"Good to know, because I had a few ideas about what we could do before we get ready."

- x -

A/n: Hahah who do you think finally gets picked as Hilary's Maid of Honour? Let me know what you thought of this in the reviews! I heard that FFN has been pretty bad with the mail alerts recently so I guess I'm about to find that out myself with this update lol.

I really hope I can make more updates for TyHil month, but mostly I will focus on posting edits on tumblr.

Thank you for reading!