Hullo again, my fellow readers. Just another drabble to pad out this book some more. I've noticed that I haven't really wrote any stories about my other AUs. While most of the drabbles do have some canon issues within them, they are all relatively true to their canon personalities. So I am in shock when I say that I cannot BELIEVE it's taken me nearly two whole years to do a single drabble about my most iconic AU; Alternate Sides.

I will talk about it more in detail in my AU book, but let me be clear- if you've been following me for a long, LONG time, you know a bit of the journey this AU went through. It's crazy, but beloved.

Warnings for the following:
Strong Language
Implications of bullying (Carrie Style)

Words: 5884

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He entered the cafe, a tentative smile resting on his face while his long red hair coiled around his neck and shoulders, a small velvet box in his left hand. Those multicolored eyes scanned the small building's interior, searching for someone. This young monster's name was Todd. Todd Scott. A handsome red fox, currently training as a police man. He was looking for someone specific. His eyes flickered to the counter as his hard-padded feet hit the ground, reminding him of the heavy training he did in the past week. However, he remained light and chipper. There was a ginger human girl at the counter, giving a friendly smile to the fox once he walked up. "How may I help you today, sir?" She asked.

Todd glanced down at her and cocked his head to the side. "Is Mavis Fox in today? I wanted to give her something," he responded back, then added, "Her birthday is coming up, and I wanted to do something nice."

The ginger girl gave a momentary frown. Mavis Fox... hardly any customers ask for her specifically. For good reasons too, she was a hard person to get along with. She was quiet, always holding a stand-offish appearance to those around her, even when she was feigning a smile. Yet, Todd Scott quite liked this young lady.

"No, I'm afraid not," She finally told him, smiling again, "She had to take today off. Some kind of emergency? Our manager isn't really allowed to give away many details." The girl then tilted her head ever so slightly to the side, "Anything else I can do for you then?"

Todd frowned at her answer. Disappointed she wasn't here, but what can one do. Shrugging a bit, he returned the smile, "That's alright. I'll just take a Fruity Reviver. Medium, please. Name is Scott."

The girl nodded and rang him up before making his drink, then handed it off to a co-worker near the pick-up area. The fox grabbed his drink, left a small tip in the tip-jar, and went along on his way. The feeling of disappointment lingered on in his mind as he walked back outside. "Well," Todd spoke outloud as he made it way to his car, "I guess you'll just have to wait until tomorrow, huh Todd?" He placed the box ontop of the passenger seat as he got inside, and took a large sip of his drink. The sweet, tangy flavor hitting his tongue as it made it's way down his throat. Refreshing... He thought, finally placing his cup down and starting up his car. Once on, he decided his next stop for the day should be to the store. He had to pick up a couple of items for dinner anyhow, so it wasn't such a bad idea to stop at the store.

...

One his car was parked, Todd hurried into the building. The sky was cloudy up above, and the familiar smell of rain filled his nostrils. Didn't his phone alert him today that it would rain? Thankfully, there wasn't much he needed to be picked up. Just an in and out trip, he figured.

At least that had been the plan.

Familiar white fur caught his attention, and the red fox just had to check it out. He wasn't too well known to not get distracted easily. It was a miracle he passed high school, much less have the attention span to train as a cop. Yet, Todd managed. This was a little different though. His heart fluttered at the thought of who this might possibly be. The stranger kept quite a ways ahead of him though, a hood over their head with a smaller figure walking besides them. Still, Todd was determined to figure this out.

Thankfully, it wouldn't be much longer before the smaller figure quickly turned down an aisle, dragging the other figure behind them to reveal the side of their face. Mavis. Her scarred face lit up as she was dragged forward. Todd's ears quickly perked up and he hurried ahead, only pausing to figure out what isle they came to. The baking isle. A grin hit his face. All he had to do was just pretend he happened to need some flour. He took some steps forward and glanced down the isle, spotting Mavis with the mysterious young girl. A two tailed fox... how rare. Her incredibly dark orange-red fur was puffed out in a rather adorable lavender dress, and her hair had been tied back into a French braid. As for Mavis herself? In a dark grey sweater and some blue jeans. Her short curly hair just barely covered up her face as she held a box of chocolate frosting and strawberry frosting.

Todd carefully side stepped his way down towards Mavis and the strange girl. He made it close to where the flour was sitting, picked up a bag and fake examined the bag. Then he turned his attention to Mavis and the girl, "Oh! Mavis! I didn't see you there!" He grinned. Mavis paused for a moment, her eyebrows furrowing inwards as the little girl next to her turned to look up at Todd. Her yellow eyes were covered by some purple tinted glasses. Who was this kid..?

"You know Auntie Mavis?" The girl grinned, her tail wagging excitedly, "Are you her boyf-?"

"Eclipse." Mavis voice hissed out, her dark hand grabbing onto Eclipse's shoulder. Todd's heart sank as the girl glanced back at her aunt, pouting.

"W-wait, hold on, I didn't know you had a niece!" Todd quickly blurted out, getting the young girl's attention yet again. She wagged her tail and ran up to the red fox, wagging both her tails. "You're adorable! I'm guessing your mother is Summer, huh little one?" He chuckled, crouching down to her level. She nodded eagerly. Summer Fox was one of Mavis' older siblings. Todd didn't know the woman very much, but last he's seen of her, she had wed some sillombre and opened up a dance studio. She seemed like a nice lady, maybe a little bubblier then he'd expect from someone related to Mavis. Speaking of which, she was giving Todd the cold shoulder as she tried to grab onto her niece's hand.

"Yessir! They were busy today, so Auntie is taking care of me today! She's a really good babysitter! We're gonna be baking a cake together today!"

Mavis baking? Who would've thought...

"That sounds fun!" Todd smiled. He glanced up at Mavis, trying his best to read her expression. Stiff. Not much he can gain from that.

The girl nodded, still wagging her tails, "Mhm! Do you like cake? What's your favorite kind? Mine is chocolate!" She was incredibly excited. Talkative. A feeling of nostalgia hit Todd as his multicolored eyes drifted back down from Mavis to Eclipse.

What was his favorite flavor of cake? Todd didn't care too much for cake, he liked other desserts more, like pie. But he really, really wanted to keep entertaining this girl to keep Mavis around just a bit longer. "Well, I like chocolate too! Although, if I'm being honest with you, I much prefer pie."

"Oooo! I like pie too!" Eclipse grabbed Mavis' hand and brought her closer, "My Auntie makes some amazing pies, mister! Have you ever had any?"

Todd shook his head. He didn't even know she liked to bake, or at least had some kind of fondness for it to do it with her niece. Todd felt bad for not knowing this. Covering up his shame, he chuckled a little, "I'm sure she's a great baker. She always makes my drinks extra good whenever I see her in the cafe!" He glanced at the vixen, who was turned away. His heart pounded as he saw the faint green glow hit her face. Blush. She was blushing! He didn't think he'd see that on her face again after all this time! "Maybe someday I can have some of her baked goods?"

"Oh yes! You must!" Eclipse grinned. Todd smiled at her and stood up, surprising a light-skinned human lady who walked by. Todd muttered a soft apology as she hurried along.

Mavis huffed and turned her attention to Eclipse, her tail low and swishing. Agitated? Nervous? It was hard to tell with her. "Well it was just g-great talking to you, Todd. But we really, really need to finish our shopping and go h-home," Her voice was low, stern, yet hints of that memorable stutter she had remained. His heart fluttered again.

"Oh! That's okay! I need to finish mine too. We can do it together! I'm having a great time talking to Eclipse anyways!" He smiled at the young vixen, who squealed in delight. Mavis gritted her teeth. She did not like this, but she said nothing as Eclipse grabbed his hand, blabbering on about... something. Todd didn't quite pick any of her words up as Mavis turned to leave the aisle with her niece and him. She chose the chocolate icing right before they left, placing it in a basket she was carrying.

As they walked, Todd turned his attention back to Eclipse, "So, how old are you?"

"I'm 7 years old!"

"Oh wow!" Todd gasped, placing a hand on his mouth dramatically, "7 years old? That's incredible!" He smiled when a faint purple blush hit her young face and she squealed. "I'm 21 myself. I'm ancient." He placed a hand on his heart and whined dramatically.

Eclipse laughed, "That is an-ancient!" She snorted, wagging her tails. Todd snorted. He was rather surprised at how smoothly he was able to talk to this young girl. Normally, Todd struggled with conversing with children. Perhaps the motivation to try and get closer to Mavis was helping him? "What's your name mister?" She asked suddenly as Todd drifted up to the back of Mavis' jacket.

"Huh?" He glanced back down at her.

"What's your nameeeeeee?"

Todd made an 'ah' sound and smiled, "Todd Scott, but you can call me Todd."

"Oh! That's a funny name! I like it!"

Mavis suddenly stopped and turned down the dairy aisle. She was heading towards the milk at a scarily fast pace. Eclipse squealed and quickly ran after her, which triggered Todd to run after them both. "Hey, slow down! My old bones can't keep up!" He half whined. He felt the judging eyes of some nearby humans stare him down, causing his face to feel hot with embarrassment. But he didn't stop moving until he caught up with Mavis and Eclipse. The youngest of the two glanced up at him and laughed.

"I'm sorry Todd! I'm supposed to stay close with my Auntie."

The red fox nodded, chuckling, "That's a good thing. Stranger danger is very important to remember." He paused for a bit, realizing that he was technically also a stranger. The girl seemed to have the same thought as she patted his hand and giggled.

"It's a good thing you're not a stranger then!"

Todd laughed, "Well, that's a sweet thought kiddo. Just be careful. Don't trust just anyone, you understand me?"

"Yeah, don't trust just anyone, Eclipse." Mavis' voice shot out, as she gave Todd a look. A glare. Todd's heart thumped and he grimmaced as she turned away. Eclipse seemed a little upset by her aunt's angry words, as she lightly placed a hand on her aunt's hand. She whispered something to the white vixen, who remained silent. She pulled out a liter of milk and placed it in the basket, then led the way towards the eggs. Eclipse glanced back up at Todd and gave an awkward smile and a shrug before she followed. Todd hesitated for a moment.

Should he really follow them?

He knew Mavis was mad at him. That she wasn't very fond of him. But he didn't think she'd still hold a grudge for him. He was an asshole to her in high school, embarrassing her in front of the entire school. A bucket of red-dyed water after watching a horror movie to prank an unsuspecting bright-eyed junior seemed like a good idea at the time, but hindsight is 20/20. Now all Todd did at night was regret that day.

"Toddddddd!" Eclipse shouted from further along, snapping him back to reality as Mavis placed some eggs into her basket. Her niece was waving at him to hurry along, "Come on slowpoke!"

He scoffed. That kid was certainly something. He jogged right back up to them and grinned down at her, "Slowpoke, hm? I'll have you know that back in my day, I was the track team leader! I was the fastest guy in my group."

Eclipse giggled, "No wayyyyy! I don't believe that!" Todd laughed and pulled out his phone.

"I'll prove it!"

Sure enough, after a quick search through his phone's gallery, he pulled the image. It had only been a couple of years since he graduated high school afterall, and Todd really wasn't big into photography. He handed the girl his phone, who squealed in delight as she scanned the image. "Wow!! You look so cool! Who's that human in the picture with you?" She pointed to a chubbier boy with dark skin and round chocolate brown eyes.

"Oh, him?" Todd glanced at the photo himself, "That's Alastor. We used to be friendly rivals in the track team. He's an incredible runner, he took over as team leader once I graduated." He smiled fondly at the picture. Sure, Alastor and him didn't always get along, but Todd thought he was great at what he did. Perhaps he should contact him sometime?

Eclipse made a perfect O with her mouth before they moved on from the eggs. Now, it appeared they were walking up to the front of the store. Todd still hadn't even bought anything, in fact, all he had in his hands was the bag of flour he had picked up from the baking section earlier. Biting his lower lip, the fox just carried the bag with him. Well, at least he had an extra bag of flour for... something. Too bad this bag was quite heavy and awkward to carry, Todd hated to think how annoying it was going to be for Mavis to carry her own groceries home.

An idea suddenly hit his head, "Hey, Mavis!" He suddenly spouted out, "You still walk home, right?"

Mavis didn't respond, instead, Eclipse answered, "Nuh-uh, we ride the bus!" This kind of soured Todd's plan momentarily, at least until he checked the time on his phone. Ahah! The bus wouldn't arrive for another thirty minutes!

"Well, it's gonna be quite the wait. I heard it's supposed to rain today, and with all the things you're buying, I'm thinking it'd be much more convenient to uh-" He bit his lower lip again and folded his ears back. Mavis had now stopped and stared up at him, daring him to continue speaking with that cold glare of hers. He took a deep breath, straightening back up, "I was wondering if I can take you ladies home instead. It'd be a shame for both of you to get wet, not to mention the groceries getting wet too!"

Mavis snarled a little as her niece excitedly perked up at the idea, "Oh yes please! That sounds wonderful! Right Auntie?" Eclipse bounced on her feet as she danced around the vixen. Mavis gritted her teeth, staring at nothing in particular for a moment before she took a deep breath and glanced up at Todd with her unreadable blue eyes.

"No thank you."

Todd's heart sank. He opened up his mouth, then snapped it shut. Eclipse started to pout, now grabbing Mavis' jacket sleeve. "Oh Auntie, please? Pretty, pretty please? Can we please ride with him? He's so nice! And he knows you! And I don't wanna get wet!"

"Eclipse Moon Fox." Mavis spoke through her teeth. Todd noticed the slightest tremble coming from her. It was taking all of her willpower to either not cry or get angry. He felt bad seeing this display, so he just sucked in his breath and smiled at the young girl.

"It's quite alright, it is important to learn not to take rides from people you don't know very well anyhow. Can I at least walk you girls up to the door?" He asked, cautiously glancing at Mavis. She seemed a little hesitant at this question, but upon seeing the pleading face of her niece, she caved in.

"Fine..."

Todd felt his tail wag and he smiled a bit wider. At least she didn't say no immediately, maybe he was making some progress?

He glanced down at the flour he had been carrying as he waited in the checkout line with Mavis and Eclipse. It wasn't a very long wait, thankfully, as it seemed more people were trying to hurry outside. Probably due to how cloudy it appeared. It was most likely going to rain soon. Mavis' items were scanned quickly, and she was soon waiting with her niece outside the checkout line. This made Todd feel good. Even if he figured it was because Eclipse wanted her to wait, he felt thankful to at least be given a chance to walk them to the door.

After he was checked out and bagged, Todd gestured for them to come with him, and he walked towards the entrance closest to the bus stop. It would be further away from his car.

Oh shit.

The sound of rain hit his ears sooner then the sight itself did. Sure enough, as he looked out of the glass doors, rain was pouring quite heavily. He could hear Mavis' breath hitch and Eclipse make an excited little squeal. "Yay! Now Todd has to give us a ride! Right Auntie?"

"A-ah now hold on Eclipse," Todd started, turning around quickly, "That's still a decision your aunt has to make!" He glanced to the white fox, who stared outside, in shock. The gods themselves must've thought it'd be funny to pull this. Todd felt guilty.

Eclipse frowned, but she understood well enough she wasn't supposed to make the decision anyways. So she gently pulled on Mavis' jacket sleeve. Mavis snapped back to reality and sighed, "Fine, fine. I guess we will have to take that ride after all..."

"Hurray!!"

Todd's ears perked up at both girls' responses. His heart pounded with glee at the idea of getting a bit more time to talk with Mavis. Maybe he can actually... get somewhere with her. Not that he didn't mind talking to Eclipse, the young girl reminded him a lot of her Aunt when she was younger. Bright-eyed. Eager to talk and impress him. How the years have gone by... He was such an asshole to her.

Pushing down his guilt for now, he led the way to the other entrance of the store, entertaining the girl by hoisting her up in the air. She squealed with delight, which only made him wag his tail with excitement. The walk wasn't very far to the other door, thankfully, but they were still bound to get wet heading outside. Todd didn't have an umbrella or any easy way to protect both their respective groceries. He took a glance outside the doors as they made it up to them, and sighed. It was raining cats and dogs. A soft sigh left his mouth, then he grinned at Eclipse and Mavis. "Well, since I am bigger then you both. I can carry both of our groceries and protect them from getting wet!"

"Right. I can keep my groceries dry just fine." Mavis growled, holding her bag up to her chest. Todd twitched his tail and nodded slowly.

"Alright..."

Eclipse lightly patted Todd's fluffy hair and smiled at him. He placed her down on the ground and led the way outside, holding the door open for the two of them. The young two-tailed vixen started to march forward before Mavis quickly grabbed her shoulder. "Eclipse, wait a s-second," she told the child softly. Her voice was extra low, as if trying to keep quiet from Todd. The male pretended to not have heard, although his heart raced as Mavis pulled off her jacket to place over Eclipse's pretty dress. "Can't have y-your new dress ruined, now can we?" She whispered softly. Eclipse nodded, grinning widely before she hugged her aunt. Now that she was covered up, both girls were now walking out of the store. Mavis held her bag close to her chest, over her long sleeve green shirt.

Todd was quick to follow afterwards. The rain pelted down onto the trio, making their fur and clothes wet. Thankfully, the car wasn't too far away, and Todd had been quick to pull out his car keys to unlock the car doors. He opened the backseat door for Eclipse to enter, as well as his bag of flour. She happily entered the car and beamed at her aunt, who hesitated. Was she going to join her niece in the backseat?

She didn't. Instead, she walked around the car and entered the passenger door. Todd hurriedly closed the back door and entered the driver's seat, where he realized Mavis' gift was in her hands. The two adults locked eyes while Eclipse squealed.

"Oh! Were you gonna propose to Auntie, Todd?" She asked, wagging her tails excitedly. Todd's face flushed as he buckled his seatbelt and he grabbed the box, trying to ignore the confused, embarrassed look of Mavis.

"N-no! I was uh-" he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, "I was picking up something for my sister!" He lied, giving an anxiety filled grin to Mavis and Eclipse. The girl deflated and sat against her seat, now buckling up her seatbelt. Mavis relaxed and placed her bags between her legs. "Besides, me and your aunt aren't... dating. You know?" He glanced back at the still pouting little girl.

"Well why not?"

Todd turned forward as Mavis took a glance back at Eclipse. "I don't need to be in a relationship, Eclipse," She spoke soft yet sternly enough to get her point across to the girl. "You will learn that just because a guy is n-nice to you, that doesn't always mean they're into you." As she spoke, Todd started up the car, feeling her cold blue eyes piercing into the side of his head. The funny thing is... he was into her. If only he could just prove it to her.

"I think you're being silly, Auntie..." Eclipse grumbled in the backseat. Todd wondered what her deal was. Especially for Mavis to just sigh, turn on her phone, and hand it back to her to play on it. To distract her. What was their relationship like? This had to be common since Mavis had been so patient with the small girl. The vixen didn't have a ton of patience nowadays... but perhaps it's just buried deep inside. Eclipse bought it out of her, it seems.

If only Todd could do the same again.

There was silence in the car, the only noise coming from the backseat. The little girl was watching a movie. Todd twitched his ear, not enjoying the silence. Perhaps he should... "Oh er, Mavis. Would you mind putting in your address into my phone? It's unlocked." He asked, trying to be as casual as can be.

Mavis' eyes hit his face, but she did as instructed, although she was hesitant. The rain hit his car's front window as he carefully eyed the gentle taps she placed on his phone screen. His heart continued to race. His palms even felt sweaty, although he prayed that it was just the rain water.

"So um... we never get to talk much while you're working, you know? How's uh- how's school been treating you?" He spoke up again once she placed down his phone. The robotic voice directed his next turn. Mavis didn't speak. Todd continued to carry on the conversation, trying to make this less awkward. "I'm in a couple of classes myself, although I'm mostly doing training. Trying to be a cop and all that, haha..."

"That's... something."

"It's pretty cool! I get along well with a lot of my classmates and stuff! Don't you uh- don't you have anything going on like that?"

Mavis didn't speak. She was dead quiet. It was clear she wasn't too keen on carrying on the conversation. This upset Todd, but he carried on driving. He knew it was a lot to ask for her to talk to him, especially what he did to her. But... but he really, really wanted something. Anything, really.

The two foxes remained silent and tense for a couple more minutes as the car engine gently hummed. They then slowed to a stop. The male fox finally spoke up again. "Look, Mavis. I-i understand you aren't thrilled to see me. To be around me. But I'm... I really want to try to make amends with you. What I did to you was awful, and I have lost countless hours of sleep thinking about that day."

He glanced over at her with sorrowful multicolored eyes, ears lowered just a smidge. Mavis didn't glance up immediately, but when she did... the expression was very well understood. Betrayal and anger. "You lost sleep? You. Lost. Sleep?" She seethed, "After the great Prom King decided to pull the biggest prank in the entire school? After you and your stupid friends decided to switch out the votes? Did you accidentally do that, Todd Scott? D-did you?" Her voice quivered with anger and hurt as she spoke. "That dress was ruined by that dye. My mother was so... s-so fucking furious with me! And when i-I asked you for help on trying to pay her back for the dress, you ignored me. I was the laughing stock of the entire school and my own family. How did you lose sleep over something YOU caused?" She growled. Angry. Hurt. Upset. Todd bit his lower lip as he drove the car forward. He didn't know what to say. Yes, it was all done on purpose. It was meant to be nothing more than a prank. Something that'd teach her not to be so gullible and trusting to a guy that wasn't interested in her. At least that's what he told himself and others at the time. That's what he convinced himself of. What a moron.

Todd opened his mouth up again, "No, it wasn't an accident. I did those things on purpose, and it's only really now I can grasp the gravity of that situation. I hurt you really, really badly, Mavis Fox. More than words could ever describe, I know that," he spoke softly, "I was an idiot to do that to you, even more of a fool to come up with the idea. It was a stupid, shitty idea, and for that I am deeply sorry. I really, really am."

Mavis huffed angrily and she turned away from him, glancing out the window. She was upset. He knew that much.

"I know you'll never forgive me for what I did. I wouldn't expect you to. But please, please believe me when I say that I would take it back if I could. I regret that night so much," he clenched the steering wheel as the next stop approached. According to his phone, they were nearly there. "I am really, really sorry, Mavis. I hate that I've hurt you so, so much. I would do anything to take it back and make it up to you tenfold. I just... I really want to prove to you how sorry I am." They drove yet again.

Silence from Mavis.

Todd's ears lowered and he stared out into the road. She would never, ever give him the chance to prove himself. Never again. He screwed up his chance. All he could do was sit here until he dropped her off. The least he can do is give her the rest of the time with him to be silent.

And so it was. The rest of the ride was quiet. Tense. The only sounds were from the car engine and the sounds of a video playing on Mavis' phone. Eclipse hadn't said a single word, in fact, Todd nearly forgot she was there. The only thing that told him she was there was when she squealed that he was about to miss his turn into the apartment complex. Mavis' home. He didn't even know she lived in an apartment. Much less on... this side of town. It wasn't a bad part of town, but it definitely wasn't the best. Still, he drove around a little until Mavis told him to stop. Her apartment was on the first floor. Room 203.

Eclipse eagerly handed Mavis' phone back up to her and started to get out. The rain stopped thankfully, so her dress wouldn't get soaked. She opened up the passenger door where Mavis sat. "Come on Auntie! I wanna make the cake nowwwwww!"

Mavis gently placed a hand on her fluffy head, "Give me a moment. I need to have a... g-grown up conversation with Todd, okay? Can you t-take the groceries in?" She moved her leg aside to pull out the grocery bag. Eclipse nodded her head in excitement, eager to help out as she took the bag from her aunt and ran inside. Mavis sighed softly. Once the girl was out of sight she turned to look at Todd. "Y-you're right Todd. You are an idiot," She growled, glaring up at him. Todd's chest clenched and he grimmaced.

"I know," He glanced down at his car's steering wheel.

"And what you did to me was unforgivable," She continued, which garnered a seldom nod from the male. "However... I-i suppose I can't pretend I don't see how much you've changed since graduating." Todd's ears perked up as she spoke, and he glanced over at her, hope sparkling in his eyes. "I don't know w-why you keep insisting on trying to make up that awful night to me, but you've given me no real reason to not give you that second chance."

"Really??" Todd started to grin, growing more and more excited and happy.

"However," She put her hand up, "If you turn out to be l-lying to me again, I will know, and I will be quick to get a r-restraining order on you. Understand me, Todd?" Mavis stared at him, her expression hard. Todd nodded, understanding. "And trust me, you're a shitty liar. Now what's in that stupid little box for your 'sister'?"

Todd's face flushed. Was he that obvious of a liar? "Well uh... it's not for my sister," He chuckled warily, "I didn't want to uh... I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of Eclipse. She seemed really keen on thinking me and you are an item." He scratched his arm, "N-not that uh- yanno..."

"Right." Mavis rolled her eyes, "Don't even continue that sentence. What's in the box?" She returned to looking at him, sceptical. What did she think was in it? He wanted to laugh at the curiosity deep in her eyes. Some things don't change...

Todd picked up the small box and handed it to Mavis, "Well," He smiled, "Why don't you tell me?"

Mavis' face started to flush. Her fur stood on end as a faint green hit her face, "O-oh uh-" She hadn't expected him to be so forward. The vixen slowly opened up the small box, her hands just barely trembling as she did so. Her blue eyes flashed as she peered in, and she slammed the box shut. "What the-?"

"Before you say anything or get really, really angry... I-i wanted to get you a gift. I meant to get you something for your birthday but I wasn't in town when your birthday hit, and I just... didn't know what to get you," He started off, "But I remembered you really liked butterflies. I know things change, and I get it if you don't end up liking the gift. I just want to show I did pay attention to your likes and stuff in school, and I did my best to remember as many of them as I could." He flushed as he spoke, "Wow, I sound so creepy saying that out loud-"

Mavis snorted and started to laugh. It embarrassed him, but in the best way possible. He chuckled a little himself.

"You stupid, stupid fox," She cackled, lightly slapping his arm, "It's a... it's a very thoughtful gift. I've never..." She frowned and shook her head. "Nevermind that. I like it."

"Really?"

"Yes, if you keep asking me 'really' one more time, I'm gonna bop you!" She huffed, although the slightest smirk hit her mouth. She was playing around with him! He laughed. "Give me your phone, I-i'll give you my number. Just don't mistake this moment between us as me trusting you, you're still going to be earning that."

Todd nodded as he handed her his phone, "Of course, of course. I get it," he smiled. She nodded as she tapped her number on his screen, before finally getting out. Mavis then stepped out of the car and gave him a small nod. "I'll see you again soon, right...?"

"I still have to go to work tomorrow, so you'll probably be seeing me again," Mavis responded, hand clenching the box. There seemed to be something else she wanted to say, but she just shook her head and gave him a look. "You better be a changed man, Todd."

The fox could only give a smile of reassurance, wanting so desperately to prove to her he had changed. The vixen sucked in her cheeks and closed his car door, then hurried over to her room door. She turned and gave him a small nod before she finally disappeared inside of her dark home. His heart thumped softly as he started his car back up and backed out. Todd had done it! He had been given a second chance, and he was going to do everything in his power to prove he was changed. He was a changed monster. "Thank you, Mavis," he purred into the air as he drove out of the apartment complex.