Title: Before You Go
Genres: Humour/Romance
Rating: K+
Couple: Sonic/Blaze

As far as Sonic was concerned, it was the girl who thought over everything too much. So why had he been sitting in the same place for the last hour and a half, contemplating on whether or not his feelings for someone were returned? The hedgehog cringed, and even shuddered at the prospect of forming a relationship with anyone. He had far more fascinating things to involve himself with–– or so he liked to believe.

Groaning loudly, he stared at the wall, curling his toes and wondering what the heck was happening to him. Never did he allow anyone to effect him this way. After all, he was Sonic the Hedgehog: cool, fancy-free and untouchable. Not to mention arrogant and cocky. The boy loved anything which stroked his ego, which was probably why he absolutely loathed the position he was in currently.

Women.

Urgh.

The one plague on earth he desperately wanted to avoid. Occasionally Sonic caught himself charming his way up a lass, but rarely did he chase after one. In fact, women always chased after him! Sonic wasn't the type to swoon; what kind of a man swooned anyway? More to the point, he didn't have to swoon. The girl he was interested in should already be interested in him too, so he just needed to sit back and wait for her to approach him. Right?

Wrong. Because, thank the stars above, the one person he had his eye on at the moment barely even noticed his existence when she was working. And she only worked all the time. There was also a huge, dreadful possibility that she didn't feel mutual. Actually, it would be reasonable to admit she didn't, but Sonic refused to wound his pride that much.

Okay, okay. Before Sonic allowed himself to turn completely deranged for this individual, he needed to weigh up the pros and cons. Surely there must be something about her he found horrifically unattractive. Then he could focus on this unattractive aspect about her until he no longer felt this way.

It sounded like a reasonable plan.

Grabbing a sheet of paper and pencil, he propped himself on one elbow, and then began to write.

Pros:

1) She's warm.
2) She's nice to look at?
3) Lovely eyes.
4) Is a pyrokinetic.
5) She's kind... ish.
6) She's freaking rich!
7) Can keep up with me.

Cons:

1) Small chest... eh.
2) Enjoys milk way too much. Cats.
3) Has a really, REALLY bad temper.
4) Is a bit of a bitch.
5) Is a pyrokinetic.
6) More than capable of burning me to death.
7) Inconveniently belongs to a separate dimension.
8) Spends more time thinking about her duty than thinking about me.
9) Doesn't like chilli dogs!
10) How the heck does she run in heels?!

Sonic scribbled out the last one, realising it wasn't necessarily a con. Holding his sheet of paper up, he sighed, somewhat relieved there were more cons than pros. However, even though this was so, he didn't actually feel satisfied. Taking hold of his pencil again, he quickly added to the pro list:

8) I like her.

Maybe he had been naïve to think that focussing on the fact she barely had a chest would make his feelings for her calm down. Anyway, Sonic didn't really mind when it came to the chest. She wasn't exactly the curviest woman he had laid eyes on, but he knew she was aware of this. He knew she felt self-conscious about her figure, and it wouldn't be kind of him to consider her negatively because of that.

Shaking his head, he drew a line through each of his cons and wrote a new one.

1) She doesn't like me in that way.

Of course she didn't. For all Sonic knew she had many suitors. While they might be not as charming as he, at least they belonged to this dimension. Scrunching up the piece of paper Sonic threw it against the wall, before slamming his forehead onto the table.

Never in his life had he felt more humiliated.

Maybe if he wrote a letter? Sonic laughed at that. Only soppy, pathetic men wrote letters to the love of their lives. She wasn't even his love!

Damn it.

The next sheet of paper was currently being glared at. If Sonic pressed down a little harder with his pencil, it would have broken in half. God, this was torture. In some ways, he really couldn't wait for Tails to build that bloody vehicle and get them back home!

Blaze,
I'm a boy. And you're a girl.

Nope. That wasn't going to work.

Your Highness––

She would definitely decapitate him for that.

Blaze,
There is a possible, slightly probable possibility that I might possibly have a probable crush on you...

It took every ounce in him to not scream then and there. Exhaling loudly, he snatched another piece of paper and furiously wrote away impatiently:

I like you. Deal with it.

That wouldn't go down well either. Sighing, Sonic leaned back in his chair, close to giving in. He then sniggered, eyeing the paper again before writing away.

Blaze,
I gots a cold-ass lil crush on yo fo' realz. And now yo big-ass booty is ghon don't give a fuck bout me fo' dat shit.
Sonic

'You just get women, don't you?'

The last time Sonic screamed this loudly was the day he first witnessed Amy chasing after him with a hammer. Quickly he scrunched up the piece of paper into a tight ball, before turning to see who had dared disturb him. Thankfully, it was only Tails. Still, the blue hedgehog didn't appreciate his sudden arrival.

'Mind telling me what language that was in?'

'Uh... French. Is there something you need?'

A smile grew over Tails' expression and he grabbed a seat next to Sonic. 'So it's true then?'

'Is what true?'

'Well, you rather like a certain member of Royalty...'

Sonic laughed mockingly, before slamming his hand down onto the table. 'No!'

'Oh. Okay then. I was just going to offer some advice, but seeing as you're too scared to admit how you feel, I'll go.'

'No, Tails! I am the one who feels this way. I should tell her I'm too scared to confess myself.'

'If I'm going to be frank, Sonic, you doing that is far better than writing a love letter.'

'It wasn't a love letter.'

'A letter, then.'

Huffing, Sonic folded his arms and looked away. This was even more distressing than he imagined. 'Fine. So what if I do tell her? Then what? We go on our merry way back home, into another dimension, Tails. Do you not see what I'm implying here?'

'You'll regret it.'

'Believe me, I regret everything about her.'

'Look, if you don't tell her the truth, then it will eat at you forever. Sonic, this might be the last chance you two will ever speak to each other. Then that'll be it. She'll be gone from your life.'

'Wow. Thanks for being so optimistic, Tails.'

'You're welcome. But I am telling the truth and you know it.'

'I can't say it, though.'

'Why not?'

'Because...' Sonic shrugged. 'I don't say that sort of thing.'

'Why?'

'Don't you have a vehicle to build?'

There was a pause. And then Tails smiled sweetly: 'You're right, I do. We have many things to build on right now.' Standing up, he proceeded towards the exit, before peering at Sonic over his shoulder. 'If you don't tell her, then don't come crying to me once we leave.'

Sonic snorted, and remained silent. He waited until the door was closed, before going into a little angry fit. This was unfair, and just so ridiculous. Tails had only made it more difficult by encouraging him to confess. But, deep down, Sonic knew he was right: if he didn't say anything, he would regret it. The hedgehog was a man (or animal?) of action. It would bug him forever if he left without her knowing he cared about her.

More than anything, he just wished a hole would open up and swallow him completely. That would be glorious.

Southern Island was always warm, even during the evening. The sun remained in the sky until the early hours of the morning, and even when it had finally set under the sea, it was still bright. While Sonic escaped the confines of Marine's small hut, he decided to free his mind with a brief jog. Said brief job transformed into a three hour dash around the island, and by the time he retired, he still felt restless and frustrated.

It had come to a point where he was desperate to leave. He wanted Tails to hurry over and exclaim the vehicle was finally finished and they could head home. Yet, the prospect of that, of leaving, ate him up inside. It was nice to return to Mobius; his friends were there, and they had no doubt missed him. There was that itchy feeling, however, that emptiness. She wasn't going to be there, and that upset him.

No matter what scenario he imagined –– Sonic staying with Blaze, or Blaze staying with Sonic –– none of them seemed realistic. Blaze was devoted to her duty as Guardian of her people, and he... well, he just didn't belong here. The damage inflicted was already too much, and the only way for everything to be fixed would be through Tails and Sonic leaving.

That damn fox.

The only reason they were here was because he couldn't drive his stupid aeroplane.

It was silly to blame Tails, though. Sonic would be utterly useless without him. Plus, Tails was the one trying his best to return back to Mobius, and the least Sonic could do was get off his back. Moreover, he could actually follow Tails' advice; do the poor kid a favour. It would irritate Tails immensely if Sonic approached him and said he didn't have the guts to tell Blaze how he felt. Somehow, that young mechanic had more courage than he did.

Sonic was half hoping he wouldn't find Blaze and then have an excuse to not confess, but, of course, it didn't take him long to find her. At first, he realised she wasn't walking in his direction so it would be best he didn't disturb her. But even to him that sounded stupid.

Heart in his mouth, Sonic hurried over to meet her.

'H––Hey.' He almost slapped himself for stuttering. When did he ever stutter?

Thankfully, Blaze didn't notice his nervous condition. In fact, she might as well have not noticed him. Engrossed in a tatty, old book she made a small murmur of acknowledgement. Sonic smiled, more to himself it seemed. Then he watched his shoes as they walked onwards, and it was only due to the fact he was so quiet did Blaze turn her attention to him.

'... What?' He said.

'Is something wrong?'

Yes. You.

'No. What're you reading there?'

'Oh...' She closed the book, shrugging. 'Nothing you would find of interest.'

Unsure whether he should take that as insult or not, Sonic scratched the back of his head. How could he tell her? Right now, his heart was pounding against his ribcage and he was scared of throwing up. And he wished she would stop looking at him with those annoyingly wonderful eyes.

Lowering his gaze, he said, 'I have to ask: have you ever been with anyone?'

'You'll have to develop a little more with that question.'

'Romantically, I guess...?'

Hesitance. 'No.' That was all she said, and he watched her out of the corner of her eye, wondering if she had tensed or considered his question as nothing. However, he couldn't read her expression, which was nothing new. Blaze was a hard one to understand. 'That's a little out-of-the-blue, Sonic.'

'Ah yeah, I guess.'

Silence. He continued to follow her, and she didn't seem to mind. Yet the more they walked in silence, the more his confidence seemed to boost. Whatever fierce image he had imagined of her wasn't necessarily true. Blaze was actually quite peaceful when alone with him; friendly almost. She seemed normal. He was so used to seeing her in action all the time it just felt odd to witness her off-duty.

Unfortunately, she did lead a life he had no desire to follow.

For some reason, though, whatever life she was forced into didn't really matter with him.

Sonic cocked a brow when he noticed her frowning. 'You're still thinking about what I asked?'

'Sort of.'

'Do you have a certain taste in a guy or––?'

'I haven't really thought about it, Sonic.'

'... How about now?'

Sonic wondered if she had foreseen his motives, but even he wasn't sure what he was trying to imply. The plan to confess was foiled now. Still, that didn't eat away at his curiosity. He continued to watch her patiently, until she decided to respond.

'Someone with intelligence would be nice.'

'Oh right...' Intelligence. A broad trait.

'And you? Or is any woman too good for you?'

Wait wait. Weren't they discussing her tastes not his? Swallowing hard, Sonic let out a nervous laugh. 'I'm not that cocky. I suppose I'm the same: someone with intelligence is good. But, mostly, I think it's confidence. Be it a cover up or real. Confidence is key for me. I'd hate to be with someone who gets impatient, though, or can't handle how fast I am... and I don't mean that in a selfish sort of way.'

'Mm, of course not.'

'Looks are important too.'

'Really?' Blaze said, somewhat amused. 'So you're that type of man.'

'Well, attractive to me, at least. I mean, you wouldn't swan off with someone you couldn't stand the look off.' She just smiled crookedly. 'I guess if I feel comfortable around them, and they make me laugh, then that's good. Don't you think?'

'I only know one person who is capable of doing that.'

Sonic raised his brows. 'Oh?' He said lightly.

'I don't think I'd be able to handle being around him for more than a day, though. He'd infuriate me so much I might end up killing him.'

'... Oh.'

'He's too in love with himself, anyway.'

Then he chuckled. Wow. She could be cruel. 'Sounds familiar.'

To his surprise, she smiled at him. It was bright and friendly, and he grinned back.

'But what if you love him too?'

Blaze looked away, thought about it, then said. 'What is love?'

'Good question,' Sonic admitted. And it was.

Looking at her, he realised she had never really endured love. Not from a parent or a friend. Sonic vaguely knew about Blaze's past, about her rough childhood of being crowned Queen at such a fragile age. The poor girl had no time to enjoy comfort from a maid or guard. There were other matters at hand.

So he understood her confusion, her doubt. The question she asked wasn't rhetorical or already known. She genuinely had no idea and had asked him, hoping he would know.

'Love is where you accept someone completely. You recognise their flaws but you can look past them. When you love someone you support them, help them and all you want is to make them as happy as possible.'

'Doesn't such a feeling have an end?'

'I'm not going to deny that, Blaze. For some, the feeling could subside. I know a few people who have loved somebody but then got over it after a while. It does help to know if their feelings are returned.'

Sonic sighed heavily. That explanation had been exhausting, and he felt like a fool now. Because even if he had evaluated the emotion, he didn't think he knew what it was either.

'Then I suppose I love him too.'

'As much as he loves himself?'

'Maybe.'

'He's very flattered.' Sonic smirked. 'And he thinks you should know you fit his description perfectly.'

A pleasant breeze ruffled through his fur, and a comforting silence was shared between them. Now, his heart was no longer in his mouth and it beat properly, calmly. They walked together, not close, but together, and never once did she trail behind. She matched his pace, matched his courage and will.

Looking up at the sky, he noticed the sun was finally beginning to set. Vibrant colours of orange, red and yellow were painted amongst the clouds, and he smiled. It wasn't a crooked, timid or confident smile. It wasn't forced of stretched. He smiled, soothed and happy, finally at ease.

'Before I go, you should know I'm glad we have this.'

Carefully, he wrapped a long arm around her shoulders, but still kept his distance. She seemed to ponder over what he said for a moment, and she was tense at his touch. Yet, gradually, her muscles loosened and she nodded slightly, a short, brief gesture. A typical stance she would take when in a trying position. Before him, and hiding from the world, she still maintained her dignity and crown.

At least she knew.

'Even if you detest my love for chilli dogs.'