"So we're going to a wedding," Tails said, still in disbelief.

"Yep," Amy replied, equally as in disbelief.

"For people we barely know anything about outside of the fact that they are our biggest super fans and are engaged."

"Yep."

"And we're going to meet both of their extended families."

"Yep."

"People that we don't know at all that are related to people we barely know."

"Uh-huh."

"And this is the first wedding either of us have ever attended in our entire lives."

"Yeah…"

The two of them let out a long, exasperated sigh, sinking backwards into the opposite ends of Tails' couch they sat on. "Why can't we just say no, man?" the kitsune mumbled.

"We're too nice," the hedgehog grumbled.

"Oh, you're so right. It's so difficult for me to just say no to fans."

"Chaos, right? It's like, I don't wanna seem like a bitch but at the same time, I just have to decline, you know? Especially the weirdos."

"Oh man, that's right, I totally forgot you attracted so many more weirdos by the simple fact you're a woman."

"Well, like I've said, that's what the hammer's for."

Amy leaned forward to look at the kitsune on the opposite end of the couch. "I'm hungry," she whined. "When's your roommate coming back with dinner?"

Tails looked over at her and lightly shrugged. "Whenever he's done with his Rocky Balboa run around the ruins." He rested his head on the arm of the couch. "That's not a joke by the way, he has a playlist that's only got 'Gonna Fly Now' in it set to a constant loop named 'I am the real life Rocky Balboa.' I don't think he's even seen the movies. Not even the first one…"

The hedgehog giggled. "That's Knuckles, alright." She leaned back into the couch again. "Welp, I guess I'll just wait here then."

Tails yawned. "You ever wonder what happened to those guys we don't talk to that much anymore?" he asked.

"Like who?" Amy replied, staring up at the ceiling.

"You know, like… Big… Omega… Blaze… that guy who showed up, helped us take down Infinite, refused to elaborate further and immediately left… uhhhhh… Professor Pickle, I guess… more people I can't remember right now…"

The hedgehog thought for a bit. "Well Big sends me postcards sometimes, so I know he's just fishing."

"Yeah that sounds about right."

"Omega… I heard he joined G.U.N. alongside Shadow, but I haven't heard anything past that."

"Well, now that I think about it, Rouge mentioned his whereabouts are 'highly classified,' so I assume he's just a super secret agent or something."

"Neat."

"Yeah."

A silence fell over them for a bit. "…Yeah, I don't know anything about the others," Amy admitted.

"Didn't think you did," Tails replied with a shrug. "Just trying to make conversation."

"Do a better job," the hedgehog teased. "Ask me the hard hitting questions. Be a jerk or something. I don't know, just be interesting."

Tails thought for a moment, then with a slight smirk asked, "You ever kissed someone before?"

The hedgehog paused. A dumb smile crept on her lips. "That's what I'm talking about," she muttered.

Tails lifted his head and repositioned his body so he was facing her, one leg crossed over the other, one arm resting on the couch's arm and the other on its top. "Answer the question, Rose," he said with a grin.

Amy turned to face him, resting her head on the arm of the couch and lying down with the rest of her body, resting her hands on her chest. "Once," she admitted. "It was an accident, though, so it doesn't count."

The kitsune crossed his arms. "You kissed someone by accident?"

Narrowing her eyes at him, the hedgehog replied, "Yeah, and it was front page on TMZ until my legal team got involved. People still post conspiracies about it sometimes…"

"Ok, now I'm curious. What happened?"

"Uggghhhhh…" She grabbed her head, bracing herself for the embarrassment to come. "Ok, so I was going shopping with the girls, right? And I was running late to meet up with them so I was running out of the subway. But I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, so when I saw them I ran as fast I could and I tripped and-"

"Amy Rose," Tails said suddenly, cutting her off. "You are not about to tell me that you lived out a dumb anime cliché in real life. I refuse to believe it."

Amy blinked, then looked away, blushing slightly.

"…Ok, who was it?" the kitsune said with a big grin.

"…Rouge," Amy muttered in defeat.

Tails burst out laughing uncontrollably. "It's not funny!" the hedgehog growled, sitting up straight.

"It's a little funny!" the kitsune blurted out between laughs.

"Well, the headline wasn't funny," she grumbled. "It read, 'Secret Lovers?! Amy Rose and G.U.N. Agent Rouge Caught on Camera!'"

"Oh, the mother of all clickbait headlines!" Tails laughed.

"It's not funny! I filed a lawsuit over it and everything, and that only made the papers gossip even more!"

"I didn't realize I was in the presence of Barbra Streisand! Ha!"

"Ugh…"

"Your turn," the hedgehog huffed.

Tails looked at her in confusion as he calmed down. "What?"

"Your turn," she repeated. "You tell me what your first kiss was like now. And don't try and weasel your way out of it, I saw you and Cream kiss at least a few times when you dated."

Tails gulped, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "W-well, it wasn't really anything special," he stuttered.

"Don't you try and weasel your way out of this, Prower," she hissed as she got closer to him. "Give me the details."

"Fine," he relented. "We were going on a picnic, in the forest between here and Station Square. We were a couple of nervous teens awkwardly flirting."

"What were you saying?"

"I don't remember."

Amy glared the kitsune down.

"Honest, I don't!" he yelped, raising his arms up in defense. "Honest! I really don't!"

"Alright, fine," the hedgehog huffed. "I'll believe you. Continue."

"R-right. So yeah, we were flirting- very awkwardly- and I said something like 'you have a kissable face.'"

The hedgehog began to giggle uncontrollably, before quickly regaining composure. "Smooth," she joked.

"Shut up. Anyways she kinda like, fluttered her eyelashes, kinda like… yeah no, exactly like on TV. She did that and was like, 'you think so?' and I was like, 'yeah.' Then we just kinda sat there for a bit, in silence. We were both blushing, but like I think I was blushing more? N-not that it's a contest or anything…"

Amy felt her bitterness melt as the man in front of her slowly blushed more and more and became more and more flustered. She had almost forgotten she was supposed to be punishing him for laughing at her misfortune. His nervousness… just seemed to make him cuter, somehow.

"Anyways," he continued, "we just kinda sat there in silence for a moment, and I just looked down at the blanket we were sitting on and took a bite of my sandwich. Then, all of a sudden, she angrily yelled out, 'ugh! Do I have to do everything myself?!' and when I looked up in surprise, she tackled me to the ground and kissed me. Not on the cheek, but like… you know, a real one, on the lips." He cringed a little at the memory. "I was so shocked I didn't know what to do, and she broke away and acted all sheepish, saying, 'sorry, I don't know why I did that,' and I was just like…" He held his face in his hands, red from embarrassment. "I was like, 'I thought you were gonna hit me,' and she was like, super apologetic, but then I said- Oh, Chaos why did I say that- I said 'honestly, I think I would've been ok with it, but the kiss was way better.'" He looked to the ceiling, still covering his eyes with both hands. "And she laughed, called me weird, and then we kissed for real. There, happy?"

A brief silence fell over them. Amy clasped her hands together and smiled warmly. "That's so cute!" She squealed.

"Shut up," the kitsune grumbled, burying his head in the couch cushion.

"No way! That's just soooo adorable!"

"Stop!"

"Oh, how sweet young love is… even when it doesn't work out in the end, it still has some nice moments to reflect on…"

"Ugh…"

Taking a moment to reflect on his story, she inquired about something he mentioned. "What was that thing about not minding if she hit you about?"

Bolting straight up and getting in her face with a speed that rivaled his adoptive brother's, his face almost completely red from sheer embarrassment, Tails yelled in her face, "I JUST REALLY LIKE STRONG GIRLS, OKAY?!"

As her two-tailed bestie panted heavily, catching his breath, she stared blankly at him, those two words echoing in her mind.

"Strong girls."

The voices of her friends from years long ago echoed in her brain.

"You're pretty strong!" Sonic had once said when they were just kids. "I don't think I've ever seen a girl lift something heavy like that before."

"She may look weak," Shadow sneered at Eggman, "but she's a lot tougher than she looks."

"Amy's one of our strongest, Rookie," Rouge said to the red wolf who joined the resistance against Eggman and Infinite while the three of them were on a mission together. "Don't underestimate her just because she's a cute girly-girl."

"Actually, believe it or not," Knuckles said into the microphone, adjusting his headphones slightly, "Sonic and I do spar sometimes, just for the fun of it. He's a challenge, but I think Amy would actually give me more of a challenge to be honest."

"Wait, Amy?" asked world famous podcast host Joe Rogan. "As in, Amy Rose, right? That chick with the giant hammer?"

"Yep, that's the one! You wouldn't think it just by looking at her, but she's super strong. That hammer weighs a lot. You probably couldn't even lift it."

"Woah, that's insane!"

"Yep!"

"Say, have you tried DMT by chance?"

"I'm sorry…"

The upset voice dragged Amy right back to reality. Tails was beginning to cry, the redness on his face draining fast. "I…I didn't mean to…"

"H-hey, it's ok," she said quickly, wrapping her arms around him. "I shouldn't have pushed your buttons like that. I'm sorry, Miles."

"It's fine," he sniffled. "I'm sorry, I guess… I guess I just still get emotional about my past relationship, even if we're on good terms now."

"It was a traumatic break-up. I should've known better than to just go digging into that unprompted."

"Well…" Tails looked away from her, sheepishly. "I really shouldn't have laughed at you like that to begin with."

Amy rolled her eyes. "It was a little funny, ok? I just have anger issues, you know that."

"Hey," he said, turning to face her again with an awkward smile, "they aren't nearly as bad as they used to be. You've really calmed down a lot since back in the day, you know."

"You think so? It's hard to tell sometimes."

"The girl flipped her lid and attacked Sonic with her hammer for forgetting about their date would never have been able to run a successful fashion line. She probably would've smashed the whole board room the second some corporate bigwig criticized her outfit designs."

Amy smiled. "I wasn't that bad, you dork," she giggled, playfully punching him on the arm."

"Ok, maybe I exaggerated a little," the kitsune said with a laugh. "But seriously, you may be a little bit… feisty at times, but that anger management stuff definitely worked. Believe me."

"Alright," she replied with a nod. "I'll believe you then." She hugged him tightly, and he hugged her back the best he could manage with her crushing his body. "You're the best, Miles."

"Thanks, Amy… could you try not to crush me though? I don't mind the hugging, just the- ACK!"

Amy squeezed him even tighter, a devilish grin on her face. "I thought you really liked strong girls, though?" she teased.

"Uh- I- I…"

Tails blushed profusely, partially out of embarrassment and partially from the lack of air circulating in his body. Amy let go of him, allowing him to hunch over and catch his breath. "I'm just teasing," she said softly, running her fingers through his bangs. His worries seemed to melt away as he laid back on the couch, letting her continue to play with his bangs. The hedgehog smiled at him warmly, before resting her hand down in her lap.

"My mother used to do that," Tails said softly.

Amy gave him a quizzical look. "What?"

"My mother," he repeated. "She used to run her hands through my bangs like that when I was a kid. Even back then I had them, though they were a lot smaller. I think I mentioned that, once…"

She nodded. "Yeah, I remember. You don't remember much about her right?"

"No… I wish I did, but… nothing really comes to mind. Aside from the name Rosemary and her only having one tail, that is. Oh, and the bangs thing, of course." He let out a sigh. "I guess I just wish I had a picture of her or something, at the very least, you know?" He looked over at the girl beside him, seeing the sad look in her eyes. Almost immediately, he looked away and tried to be more chipper. "But hey, at least I can remember her face kinda. That's… well… I guess that's more than you, Sonic and especially Knuckles can say about your guys' parents, right? So… what right do I really have to complain then?"

The two sat in silence for a bit, neither sure what to say. Amy put her hands in her pockets, feeling a bit unsure of how best to proceed. A pen and a small notepad ester in one of her pockets. She suddenly got an idea. Pulling out the pad and pen, she asked, "Can you describe what she looked like?"

"…Why?" The kitsune asked awkwardly, not bothering so much as looking in her direction.

"I'm just curious. Satisfy this poor dame's curiosity, detective…" She fluttered her eyelashes dramatically.

Tails giggled to himself. "You're such a dork. Alright, fine." He put his hand to his chin and looked to the ceiling, deep in thought. "Let's see… she had a similar face to mine, but more… smooth? And uh… feminine? Which makes sense, given she's a woman and all…" He groaned. "This is stupid."

"No, no, you're doing fine! Please, continue."

"Alright… well she didn't have bangs, like me, more like brushed, wavy hair. Sometimes she rested it on her shoulder, I think. She wore this long purple dress… and had such a warm smile. She actually had red hair, I think… and her fur was brown, as opposed to orange. I know she had the same tuffs I got on the side of this muzzle of mine, pretty sure that's a general trait amongst… well, others like me. I remember she had only one tail though. I know that one for sure. That's about it I guess."

After some intense, rough scribbling, Amy turned her notepad to him. "Something like this?"

He glanced in her direction, noticing the rough sketch she'd drawn based on his description. "Yeah, something like th-" Upon realizing just what he was looking at, he froze up, his eyes widening in surprise. Completely catching his friend off guard, he practically lunged at her and snatched the notepad away, causing her to gasp in surprise. Silently, he studied the inked markings on the paper intensely, examining it from all possible angles.

"It's…" he muttered at last. "It's not quite the same. Her hair was different… the eyes are a little small, I think… but… overall…" Tails paused to dry his watering eyes. "It's almost like seeing a picture of her."

"Did I…" Amy said cautiously. "Did I really capture her likeness that well?"

"Yeah, you did. You really, really did. Like I said, it's not spot-on, but… sweet Chaos it's so close." He turned to her and brought her in for a tight hug of her own. "I… I don't know what to say aside from thank you, Amy. Thank you so much."

"It's nothing, really," the hedgehog replied, blushing slightly. "I just kinda… had the idea all of a sudden, hehe…"

"I'm gonna keep it, if that's alright. I want to put it in my wallet. I just…"

"Go ahead, keep it. I understand completely."

They broke the hug and stared at each other for a moment, warm, loving smiles plastered on each other's faces. Tails looked away after a bit, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "Lots of hugging today, huh?" A look of embarrassment and worry crossed his face as he continued to avoid eye contact.

Amy blushed a little before looking down at her lap. "There's… there's nothing wrong with that, is there?" She looked back up at him. "I… I really don't want to make you uncomfortable, ok? Please tell me if I am."

"N-no! No! That's not it!" Tails said quickly, his eyes locking with hers again. "It's just… I don't know. I don't wanna seem overly affectionate towards you or anything."

"Hey, we're friends right?" She said with a smile. "And not just friends, best friends. It's only natural for us to be a bit affectionate at times, right?"

"I guess so…"

The kitsune closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Come on, Miles," he thought. "You can do this."

He opened his eyes and grabbed Amy's hands. She looked at him, confused. "Tails?" she asked.

"Amy, there's something I wanna say," he said carefully. "Something I've thought about for a while, in fact." His heart began to beat rapidly. His face was burning up.

"W-what is it?" the hedgehog asked him. Her face was beginning to burn into a blush. Her heart began to race.

"Is he…?" she thought. "No, no, keep your head straight, Rose. He's not going to confess his love for you. That's not what's about to happen… right?"

The kitsune took a deep breath. "Amy Rose, I-"

Before he could finish, the front door slammed open. An all too familiar red echidna stood in the doorway, sweat dripping down his face, an arm raised up in the air with a ticket clenched in his fist and a box tucked under his other arm. "I JUST WON THE LOTTERY!" he screamed with excitement. "…But not the jackpot of one million dollars," he sighed. "Instead, I won a thousand bucks- which is seven hundred after taxes- and this cool model plane that I have no use for, but that I'm sure a certain fox would love! Oh, and I forgot to get dinner. I think we still have some leftovers in the fridge, though." He looked around, seeing Amy and Tails holding hands on the couch, looking at him with surprise and bewilderment. He frowned. "I feel like I just interrupted something important." His eyes narrowed, a look of general confusion crossing his face. "I also feel like I just pissed off a group of nerds reading something on a popular but still kinda niche story-sharing website, but that's probably unrelated to whatever's happening here."

Amy blinked in confusion, before shaking her head and focusing on the kitsune in front of her again. "Uh, Tails," she said awkwardly. "What were you gonna say?"

Tails looked back at her. All of that confidence he had was gone. "Uh… uh, well, I, uh…" he stammered, completely clamming up. He let go of her hands faced forward, looking away from her. "S-sorry… I completely forgot."

Sadness spread across the hedgehog's face as she too faced forward. "Oh…" She looked down to her lap. "Let me know if you remember it, ok? It… seemed important."

Tails shot a dirty look at his echidna friend, flipping him off with his left hand, out of view from Amy's line of sight.

Knuckles stared at the two of them for a bit, connecting puzzle pieces in his brain, before finally getting the picture. His eyes widened. "Dear Chaos," he thought. "The boy was actually gonna tell her. He was this close, and then I- GAHHH! YOU IDIOT!" He looked down at the floor. "You ruined it! Ruined it! Now look at what you've done, it's all awkward! Come on, Knuckles, think. You're the last of your bloodline, you have to be the problem solver!"

Knuckles held out the box containing the model plane kit. "You guys wanna help me build this?! We haven't hung out as just as a trio in forever!"

"Great idea, jackass," he thought.

Amy clasped her hands together and smiled. "Ooo, I love arts and crafts stuff! That sounds like fun!"

Tails shrugged, trying to set his annoyance aside. "Yeah, I guess that sounds like fu-" He paused upon seeing the boxart. "Holy-" He shot up in his seat, pointing at the plane on the box enthusiastically. "That's a F3F-2 VF-6 Fighting Six! That's what inspired me when I was sketching out the Tornado III's design!"

The echidna smiled. "Never mind, you did good," he thought.

"Well don't just sit there!" he said excitedly. "Get to the dining room table and help me build this damn thing!"

"Yeah!" Amy and Tails yelled in unison as they jumped off the couch.

The three of them spent the rest of the evening assembling the model, with Tails giving out facts about the plane itself, Amy delicately painting the pieces, and Knuckles struggling to follow the instructions.

Author's note: Sorry for the tease. :P Not too much more left in this story. Sorry for the delay, girlfriend broke up with me. I'm fine now, but I wasn't for a bit. We're on good terms. I don't wanna get into it. Focus more on the fox and hedgehog's romance than my own. Hope to get another chapter up soon-ish if I'm not busy with work. See you all later.