Love isn't for the people who are with you when you are your strongest, it's for the people who are there to pick you up when you are your weakest.
The tears flowed freely from the kitsune's eyes. His wet, matted down orange fur was a sharp contrast to the brown trees and green grass. The only sound that filled his ears was the rain. It was so cold...
He shouldn't be out here... He could freeze. Yet... he couldn't go back. Not after... that.
At the very idea bile seemed to churn from his stomach once again. I don't hate her... Tails scolded himself pulling his legs closer in as she shivered. After all, it's not her fault. He didn't even try to suppress the sobs. Who would hear him here in the woods? Who would even care?
She was just faster than me.
The irony of the statement would've made Tails chuckle had he not been so heartbroken.
He should've been happy for his older brother. Tails told himself. Definitely not jealous. Yet happiness seemed impossible for the fox when the only thing he could think about was seeing them.
And how his heart seemed to break into a million pieces when he saw them. Try as he might, he just couldn't forget it. Couldn't forget them. Together. His stomach felt sick at the very mention of the memory.
A groggy Tails walked out of his workshop and into the house him and Sonic shared. It was just him for now. Sonic had run off somewhere for the night. It must've been close to two in the morning, Tails judged from the pitch black night sky visible out the window. The happy Tails mindlessly hummed a tune as he walked to the bathroom, as that was the only reason the fox has left the workshop at such an ungodly hour. Working with his tools always left him in such a good mood.
As the kitsune closed the bathroom door behind him he heard the front door open.
Looks like Sonic's back, Tails told himself. Before he could call out and say hi to the blue hedgehog, Tails heard what sounded like... giggling?
Almost like a girl. As soon as he recognized who it was he nearly groaned. Amy.
Why was she here, at two in the morning of all times?
Before Tails could open the bathroom door to confront the punk intruder he heard another sound. Something or someone slammed into a wall and Tails thought that maybe he was mistaken about Amy. Maybe it was actually some type of criminal- until he heard Amy...
...Moan?
No- that wasn't Amy. The sound was too deep. More giggling and movement. What the heck was going on? A confused Tails opened the door a slight amount, just enough to peer through the crack in the door. And immediately regretted his decision. Eyes widening in shock at the scene he stumbled upon.
His best friend, his older brother, his Sonic, held the pink hedgehog against the wall next to the bedroom door, pinning Amy to the wall as the two kissed.
And, as a flustered Tails judged by watching Amy's roaming hands on the cobalt hedgehog, did other... things besides kissing.
Amy Rose. The same pink hedgehog that time after time Sonic had rejected and acted disgusted by her advances. A disgusting taste rose into Tails' throat. Yet he couldn't move, his feet seemingly stuck to the floor on which he stood, his hand unable to shut the door and close his eyes to what the two hedgehogs were doing in the middle of his living room. All he could do was watch. The more he watched the more his chest seemed to cave in on itself.
He wanted to scream.
He wanted to cry.
He wanted to do something...
Sonic's gaze drifted from Amy to the bathroom door where his eyes locked with Tails' own. There was just something in Sonic's eyes that Tails couldn't place. Next Sonic opened his mouth for some maybe to call out to Tails or something, anything at all. But before he could do anything Amy pulled him into another deep kiss.
That was enough. Tails told himself as he regained the ability to move and loudly slammed the door shut and locked it tight.
He couldn't think straight, he couldn't see straight. The sickened Tails nearly collapsed on the floor of the bathroom. He felt like a mixing pot of emotions. He felt angry. Jealous. Betrayed. Hurt.
Why though?
It wasn't like he was surprised by the two of them finally getting together. It had long since been obvious there was something in between them. Then why was he so upset?
He didn't know.
Or rather... he did know. He just preferred not to think about it. He knew every time he looked at them. No- not them. Him.
The fox's childhood crush of the hero never truly went away. Not after all these years of being called Sonic's little brother or bro. Even when Sonic treated Tails like a kid. Tails had hoped it would go away. But it didn't.
In fact, it seemed to just go stronger. So somewhere along Tails decided to just suppress it all. Everything. Except for his hope that maybe, just maybe, one day, he wouldn't have to suppress it. That he could go ahead and tell his friend how he had loved him, still did love him.
Yet Tails always knew that Sonic would never want him like that. He was the little brother to Sonic. And just that. He always knew that.
And yet Tails had always hoped he was wrong.
Tails slumped down against the bathroom door, falling to the floor. He blocked out the sounds from behind the door. He couldn't even recognize them anymore. The pounding at the door seemed a world away. He didn't want to hear them.
Wasn't it enough that every time he now closed his eyes all he could see was them, looking back at Tails, smirking before their lips met again?
Yet the fact that Sonic was with her right now rather than Tails only proved that Tails was right. That all Sonic saw him as was a little brother. As a kid. Not a lover.
As the tears rolled down his cheeks, Tails realized he had never been so upset about being right before in his entire life. And as the silent tears fell, Tails could hear Amy's loud piercing voice behind the door.
"Sonic, don't worry about him." The voice said, and Tails could hear the door creaking as Amy pinned Sonic against the locked bathroom door. "Why don't we have some more fun?" There was a pause, a moment where Sonic said nothing in reply.
"Okay." Sonic's voice replied. There was a hint of nervousness to it, but then it was gone.
Forgotten. Just like the young fox behind the door.
There was another creak heard as the pressure on the door was released as the pair of Mobians got off of it.
The giggling was back next, and then Tails heard the crinkling of the living room sofa as the two fell on it. Tails knew he couldn't stay here. The kitsune's eyes trailed around the bathroom looking for an escape, before finding the window beside the toilet. Pushing himself up, Tails opened the window.
He paused in his uncertainty. The rainy night would be no shelter to him. But then he heard them again. And he knew there was no way he would stand to remain here any longer, even if it meant he would freeze.
Tails looked back out the window and fled.
Even though he could no longer hear them or see them. The only thing he could imagine was them together. Tails hated it. He hated them. He especially hated her.
It wasn't her fault though.
She may have been the one who stole Sonic's heart, yet Tails never could work up the courage to try and tell him. But it wouldn't have changed anything, he reasoned. He began running straight ahead. Would it have?
Usually Sonic was the one to run away from problems. But this time it was different. Tails ran through the night time rain and into the forest. Tails had no idea where he was running to but he didn't care. As long as it was away from them.
The cold raindrops stung the kitsune's face masking the tears he shed as he ran. He didn't stop running until the fox collapsed from exhaustion in the dead of the woods. Too tired to stand, the wet fox pulled himself under the shelter of the closest tree.
Tails' shivered as the wind stung his cold fur, causing him to freeze even more. He should just head back to the house. Staying out here in the cold was unnecessary. He was just being unreasonable. He would freeze out here.
He couldn't bring himself to move though. Rather, he couldn't bring himself to care to move. More sobs sounded from the fox before he curled into a ball.
If he died out here, would he himself even care? Would anybody? He felt a rough leather of a gloved hand reach out and touch his shoulder as he cried. Of course Sonic would come eventual. Even though Tails wished he hadn't, Sonic would always go after his little brother to make sure he was alright. Just because he didn't see Tails in the way Tails wished he did, he still cared.
Though the thought of having to confront his brother now only made the bile in his stomach rise again. Quickly Tails dried his eyes on his equally soaked gloves and looked up to the hedgehog. Though it wasn't Sonic.
In fact, who he saw was the last person he expected.
"Shadow?" A confused Tails called out. He looked at the hand outstretched to him from Shadow, as if to confirm it was actually him Tails was looking at. Shadow- and indeed it was him, nodded in response. His facial expression differed from his usual bored expression... but in a way Tails couldn't quite place.
"What are you doing here?" Tails' asked he quit his sobbing, since Shadow was probably not too good with the whole comforting people thing.
"Should ask the same for you." He said, his hand still outstretched. Tails made no move to take it and Shadow only sighed and put it down. "I heard crying from my house okay? I was curious." Shadow admitted.
"Oh." A moment passed. Nobody said anything.
"I know I'm not too good with this social thing, but I'm pretty sure you're supposed to answer my question now." He said, and Tails couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Tails offered no reply.
"Isn't it a little bit cold to be sitting out here in the rain?" He continued. Tails only curled into a tighter ball. "I take it you're not going to tell me what happened, are you." Nothing.
"I don't know if you're lost or something," Shadow sighed. "But I can take you back to the house faker and you share if you want."
Tails was glad Shadow didn't use Sonic's name. "...I'm good." Shadow only sighed again and sat down under the tree in front of Tails. "What are doing?" The confused kitsune asked.
"Isn't this what I'm supposed to do to try and comfort you?" Shadow replied, as if it were obvious.
"...comfort me?" A now even more confused Tails asked.
"Well yes, you're obviously upset." Shadow replied.
"But why do you care?"
"Who knows." Shadow laid down against his tree, shaking off some of the raindrops. "Though you may not believe me when I say I'm not completely heartless." In front of him, Tails shivered, obviously very cold.
Despite that Shadow was not about to ask the fox if he wanted to cuddle up to share heat. There were limits to Shadow's already small amount of kindness.
The two sat there in silence, the only sounds being the constant beating rain and the rustling of the treetops above them. Tails only sat in wonder as he stared at the newcomer. He would've at least expected Shadow to have asked what was wrong, even if the fox wouldn't have ever told him. Why was he still here?
Can't he just leave already?
...do I really want him to?
The last of his own questions took Tails completely by surprise. Why does he care? Tails wasn't stupid. From previous experiences, the fox could tell the hedgehog wasn't like his ever so cheerful Sonic.
Tails nearly winced when he noticed he had called Sonic his. He ignored the pain rising once again in his chest. Shadow didn't seem like the type of person who would go out of his way to comfort someone. Tails shivered once again, leaving himself completely alone in his thoughts once again.
Shadow looked around at the trees, looking for something to occupy the boredom. The fox didn't seem to want to talk, and he didn't ask Tails what was wrong, as it was obvious the young kits had absolutely no intention of telling Shadow, who he obviously felt uncomfortable with.
Though Shadow couldn't blame the fox's discomfort with him. The only people who were ever comfortable with him anymore were Rouge and Omega... and Omega was a robot, so he wasn't really actually capable of discomfort.
Plus, Shadow really didn't know why he was still here. The caring thing was completely against his entire personality.
Well, not completely...
Despite that Shadow was still curious as to why the fox was here in the middle of the woods crying. And shouldn't Tails' friend, Faker, be comforting him?
If Shadow hadn't been so used to masking his emotions, his face would have lit up in realization.
It had to have been something between Faker and him. But what?
The two of them were close, from what Shadow could tell. What could possibly tear apart a friendship like that?
Again the fox shivered changing Shadow's attention back to the fox and Shadow knew he must be freezing. Exactly how long had the fox been out here?
Shadow sighed. Almost a half hour had passed. Tails shivering became more and more frequent with each passing moment. Shadow himself didn't feel the cold. Yet he sort of had an unfair advantage with that, being the Ultimate Lifeform and all.
Still, the fox had yet to even make a whimper, never mind complain.
Tough kid. Shadow said, though he knew that a life full of dangerous adventures with Sonic didn't really qualify him as a kid anymore. Plus the kitsune had probably handled much worse before.
Still, Shadow couldn't help but worry a little tiny bit. He may have been immortal, but Tails sure as hell wasn't. If he stayed out here any longer, the kitsune would freeze.
Shadow pushed himself up, and Tails eyed him for a second before going back to staring at the ground. The fox seemed to expect him to leave. He definitely didn't expect Shadow to reach his hand out to him again.
"Come on. It's too cold to stay out here." Shadow told him.
"I don't want to go back to my house." Tails pouted almost childishly.
"Who said anything about your house?" Shadow asked, feeling tired. "You can spend the night in Rouge's and my house. She won't mind. We've got a guest bedroom." When did I make that decision? Shadow asked himself.
Tails eyed Shadow's hand. It was really cold here... Yet the rational part of his brain didn't trust Shadow. Why should he?
"Come on. Contrary to popular belief, I don't bite." Shadow said, and this time Tails knew he was joking. Without giving himself a chance for second thoughts, Tails grabbed his hand.
A small, barely visibly smile formed on Shadow's face as Tails took his hand, and then pulled the young fox up. And then it was gone. He released his hand once he was up. "Follow me, the house isn't too far from here." Shadow said before turning and heading off into a seemingly random part of the woods.
Tails rushed after the ebony hedgehog. Thoughts passed through his mind as he followed Shadow.
What if this was a trap or something? Maybe Eggman and Shadow started working together or something? Why else would Shadow have been so nice to him?
I shouldn't go with him...
I don't trust him.
Yet Tails kept walking. Maybe it was just because he was so cold, or that he knew he couldn't go back to his house, at least, not now, anyway. Maybe it was that Tails knew he could take care of himself. He wasn't defenseless. If he was walking straight into a trap, he could defend himself.
Or maybe the reason was that Tails just didn't care anymore.
What's the worst that could happen?