Sorry it's been such a long time since I've published anything. I hope this makes up for it at least a little bit.
Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to any of the Sonic franchise and I am making no money from writing this.
Tails wasn't entirely sure what he was looking at.
There was a party going on down by the beach after yet another success against Eggman and of course, everyone was invited. Tails had been beside Sonic pretty much as soon as he got there. He wasn't really one for parties but he knew that if he didn't turn up, he'd never live it down- especially since he was best friend to their hero, Sonic the Hedgehog. He had just left Sonic for a few minutes, making his way over to the food table. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten and he was positively starving. He took a bite of sandwich as he turned around but then he suddenly froze in place. Stood just a few feet away from him was Sonic next to a giggling, eye fluttering Amy. Tails knew she'd always had a thing for Sonic but he thought he could trust her, he thought she wouldn't...
Tails sighed and dipped back into the crowd of people. Silently he slipped away, seemingly unnoticed by anyone. He walked aimlessly for a while until he found a quiet patch of grass far away enough from everyone else to not be noticed and he sat himself down. He didn't really want to be out here by himself but he needed some time with his thoughts. The truth was, while everyone around them often lightheartedly joked about Tails' seeming adoration for their fearless hero, he was beginning to realise that the love he felt towards Sonic wasn't completely platonic. He hadn't told anyone about it. It wasn't really out of fear or shyness, he just hadn't felt the need to tell people- mostly because he was pretty certain a lot of people had figured it out for themselves anyway. So he knew he had no right to be annoyed at Amy; it was his fault for not telling her about his feelings for Sonic in the first place. But then again, he thought that she would have realised it all by this point. Or maybe she did know and just didn't care. No, that wasn't like Amy. She wouldn't do something like that, would she?
Just as that thought began to manifest more heavily in Tails' mind, he heard a voice call out his name from behind him. He turned around to see Amy herself jogging over to him. As much as he hadn't wanted anyone finding him out here- especially Amy- he still greeted her with a weak smile.
"What are you doing all the way out here? The party is half a mile that way" Amy joked, pointing down the hill behind them.
"I just needed some time to myself" Tails sighed, his tails curling either side of him to warm him in the cool, night time air. Amy didn't say anything but sat herself down beside him. Silence followed her movement for a while until Tails took a slow, deep breath as if he was trying to calm himself.
"I have a question" Tails suddenly said, turning his head to look over at Amy's inquisitive face. She nodded at him as a prompt to continue.
"Do you... like Sonic?" Tails asked cautiously. Amy blushed at the bluntness of the question and stuttered a little before answering properly.
"I think so. But it's nothing" Amy finally admitted.
"What do you mean?" Tails' eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"It will never become anything. It's as clear as day that his heart belongs to someone else" Amy smiled sadly to herself.
"Really?" Tails' heart became strangely hopeful at Amy's words despite how much he tried to stop himself.
"Yes" Amy giggled, nudging Tails' shoulder playfully. Before Tails could ask her anything else, he heard footsteps approaching them.
"Hey guys, what are you doing all the way over here?" Sonic's voice called out from behind them as he raced over. Tails instantly tensed as Amy turned around. But instead of tackling Sonic into a hug like Tails had expected, she stood slowly and smiled.
"I was just looking at the view. But I'll leave you two alone" Amy smiled, winked down at Tails, then promptly left.
"Well, that was weird. Any idea what she was on about?" Sonic asked, sitting down next to Tails who awkwardly shifted his legs but said nothing.
"I'm guessing that means you do, but don't want to tell me" Sonic continued and Tails' eyes blew wide.
"It's not like that!" Tails said quickly, trying to make sure Sonic didn't get the wrong idea.
"It's alright, calm down" Sonic chuckled at Tails' worried reaction. Tails relaxed a little but still seemed slightly tense which confused Sonic to no end. They were supposed to be celebrating another victory against Eggman, so why was his friend so stressed out?
"You alright?" Sonic eventually asked, nudging Tails' shoulder in an attempt to lighten the mood. Tails shrugged his shoulders and tried to turn away from Sonic, but Sonic quickly put his hand on Tails' arm to stop him.
"Seriously, what's wrong? You're starting to worry me now" Sonic said softly, holding onto Tails' arm. Slowly, Tails turned back to face him and bit his lip nervously.
"You can tell me anything" Sonic reassured him and Tails seemed to relax ever so slightly.
"Anything?" Tails asked quietly, nervously twisting his fingers together.
"Of course" Sonic smiled, placing a hand on Tails' shoulder.
"You promise?" Tails finally looked up at Sonic, his eyes filled with nervousness but also a glimmer of hope. Sonic nodded slowly for him to continue.
"I've had feelings for someone I've known for a long time now but they only ever seen me as a friend" Tails began explaining, a blush slowly growing on his cheeks.
"What are they like?" Sonic asked, a gentle smile on his lips.
"Well, they're funny, smart, and loved by everyone. They've had my back for a long time now and I've always had theirs. I've known them since we were kids and we've shared so many good memories together. I always thought I was okay with just being friends but recently I've realised that I need to tell them how I feel, even if they hate me for it" Tails continued with a wistful look in his eyes.
"Then tell them" Sonic told him, nudging Tails' shoulder encouragingly.
"But I don't know how" Tails admitted, suddenly staring down at his hands.
"Don't think about it, just say the first thing that comes to your head. If they care about you even half as much as you seem to care about them, you'll be okay" Sonic said reassuringly, putting a hand on top of Tails'. Tails tensed and Sonic started to pull his hand away. But before Tails even knew what he was doing, he reached out and held Sonic's hand in his own. Both of them froze, staring down at their hands pressed together. Slowly, Tails lifted his head to look into Sonic's eyes.
"You're funny, smart, and everyone loves you… including me, more than you know" Tails whispered, echoing what he had said just moments before. He held his breath and waited for the shocked gasp or disgusted sigh, but they never came. Instead, Sonic started to smile.
"I think I love you too" Sonic chuckled and Tails' eyes widened with hope.
"Really?" Tails almost whispered, not knowing what else he could say.
"Yes, my sources are very reliable" Sonic smiled, pointing at his own chest. Tails let out a giggle and suddenly a burst of confidence washed over him. Pulling Sonic towards him, Tails pressed their lips together in a sudden kiss. Sonic momentarily froze before wrapping his arms around Tails' waist and smiling into the kiss.
Unbeknownst to either of them, Amy sighed quietly to herself as she watched them from the beach. She had been right all along- Sonic's heart truly did belong to someone. And finally, the two of them could be happy together.