Tails' head throbbed, as it usually did after a visit to the Casino Night Zone. The garish lights and harsh sounds in the place always gave the young fox terrible migraines. He already dreaded his next trip there, for they were becoming more and more frequent, but for now he was glad to breathe in the gentle spring air of Green Hill again. He picked up his pace, the breeze ruffling his hair as he ran. The small package he carried slapped against his thighs; Tails barely noticed it. Almost home! Tails rounded a corner at high velocity, crashed through some bushes and spilled out in the open space where he'd constructed his workshop - and stopped dead in his tracks.
An unexpected visitor stood outside his workshop. Amy Rose stood on tiptoes, her forehead pressed against one of the windows, peering inside. Tails cleared his throat.
"Oh!" Amy spun around, flustered. "Tails! You're not at home... well, I guess you are now."
Tails remembered the package he was holding, and casually hid it behind his back. "Hi Amy. What can I do for you?"
The pink hedgehog squirmed, looking even more embarrassed. "I haven't seen Sonic around in forever, and, well, I know sometimes he stays over at your place for a while..." Here she trailed off and looked expectantly at Tails.
"I haven't seen him either." The lie came out of his mouth so effortlessly that Tails winced. Is this who he was now? Someone who lied to his friends on reflex?
If Amy doubted Tails was telling the truth, she didn't show it. In fact, her face scrunched up with worry.
"Hey, I'm sure Sonic is fine," Tails said quickly. "He can take care of himself, you know." He spoke with an easy confidence that was completely at odds with the guilt he felt.
"You think so?"
"I know so." And he offered Amy a reassuring smile that burned on his face.
Amy breathed out, letting her shoulders sag. She returned a small smile of her own. "Yeah, I bet you're right," she said. "Thanks, Tails. I guess I'll see you around later, then." She started walking away from Tails' workshop.
As Amy brushed past Tails, he had to suppress the urge to reach out to her. Instead, he tightened his grip on the package hidden behind his back. Before he could stop himself, he called out after the pink hedgehog. "Why do you like Sonic so much?"
Amy stopped and turned to him. Blinked. "What do you mean?"
Blood rushed to Tails' face. He pressed on, however. "You know what I mean, Amy. The way you look at him, the way you're always running around, trying to figure out where he went..." Here Tails trailed off, unsure of how to go on.
"Oh," Amy said softly. Her eyes widened. "Oh! Tails... I had no idea you felt this way. You know I like you too, of course I do, but as a friend."
Tails shook his head violently. "It's not like that! Look, there's things about Sonic that... I know him better than you do, is what I mean." Amy didn't say anything, so Tails continued. "It just seems to me like you're always running to catch up with him, and he doesn't even notice you. I guess, what I mean to say is, you deserve to be with someone who does notice you." It wasn't what he had meant to say at all; still, it came as close to the truth as anything he could tell her.
Amy was silent for a long time. She finally spoke up in a tight, trembling voice. "I thought you were his friend."
Tails blinked. "Huh?"
"You should be ashamed of yourself. Saying these things about Sonic, when he's not here to defend himself, even if they're true." Amy blinked away furious tears. "Oh yes. I'm not an idiot, Tails. I know Sonic avoids me sometimes, and that I shouldn't keep chasing after him just because of how he makes me feel those few times he doesn't avoid me. But that's my decision. And what I don't need-" She jabbed a finger at Tails' chest. "-is you rubbing my face in it. And for what? Because you think pointing out Sonic's flaws is gonna make me run into your arms?"
Tails stared at Amy, too dumbstruck by her outburst to protest.
"You disappoint me, Tails," Amy went on. "If this is how you talk about your friends when they're not around, then... then I don't think I want to be your friend." And with that, she turned away from Tails and stalked off, chin held high.
Tails stood looking after Amy long after she'd disappeared from his view. The only sounds he could hear were the rustling of the trees and the pounding of his own heart. He noticed he was clenching the package behind his back too tight, and forced his fist to relax.
Was Amy right? Was he a bad friend? Tails hadn't told her anything he'd not felt himself. He knew better than anyone how tiring it was to always try and catch up with Sonic, or how good it felt on those rare occasions when the blue hedgehog noticed you. But unlike Amy, he couldn't simply walk away. Sonic needed him too much for that.
Tails took a deep breath and entered his workshop. The pungent smell of sickly sweat greeted him.
"Do you have it?"
Tails sighed. "I talked to Amy outside. She was looking for you." He tried to keep his voice light.
Sonic half-raised himself from the couch, impatiently waving a trembling hand. "Do you have it?" Amy would hardly recognise Sonic like this, Tails reflected. None of their friends would. The creature on Tails' couch was a tremor-riddled wreck, more grey than blue.
Tails tossed the package over to Sonic; his friend fumbled with it, almost dropped it. Sonic tore away at the brown paper, revealing a small glass vial filled with a shimmering liquid. Concentrated Chaos Emerald extract.
Sonic produced a small wooden box; it contained an injection needle. He fumbled with it and glanced at Tails. "Little help?"
Wordlessly, Tails took the needle from his friend. He started filling the syringe while Sonic removed one of his shoes. "Just a little more," said Sonic, watching Tails, until nearly the entire vial had been transferred to the syringe. Tails kneeled down and after a moment's hesitation plunged the needle in Sonic's flesh, between two of his toes.
It had happened so gradually, reflected Tails, while Sonic's eyes cleared and the bright blue color returned to his skin. Ever since their first encounter with the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic had realised they gave him an edge. Made him just that little bit faster, stronger. To Tails' surprise, many people injected themselves with a Chaos Emerald solution for exactly those reasons, and it was readily available in some of the seedier areas of Mobius. The stuff was expensive, though that hadn't been a problem. Sonic didn't need much. At first.
"Whew," Sonic was saying now. "Thanks, little buddy." He jumped up off the couch and started jogging laps around Tails' small living room, a blue ball of barely contained energy.
"Yeah, don't mention it," Tails mumbled. He felt distant from the scene, drained, Amy's words ringing in his head. You disappoint me, Tails. He was only trying to help. But then why did he always feel like he made things worse instead of better? He suddenly wished he could tell someone else about Sonic; Knuckles, he was sure, would know better what to do. After all, Tails was just a kid. But Sonic had made him promise he wouldn't tell anyone about the injections, and so far none of their friends had seemed to notice the changes in Sonic's behaviour.
Sonic punched Tails' shoulder, shocking the fox out of his thoughts. "What you thinking about, bromigo?"
"Oh," Tails said. "Just stuff."
Sonic flashed Tails one of his famous cocky grins. "Don't think too much, little buddy." He rapped his knuckles gently against Tails' forehead. "You'll hurt yourself."
Tails forced himself to grin back. "Sure thing, Sonic. You betcha."
Sonic seemed to search for something in Tails' face for a moment, cocky grin still glued on his own face. Then, apparently satisfied, he punched Tails' shoulder again. "Okay, I've gotta run, little buddy. Catch up soon, yeah? We'll grab a chilli burger, or something." He ruffled Tails' hair and was out the door a mere second later.
"Sure thing, Sonic," Tails said into the silence. He moved to close the front door. The forest surrounding his workshop was beautiful in its emptiness. Some birds chirped in the distance. "You betcha."