-Chapter One-
If anyone has ever said that the streets of New Mobotropolis are lively by day, they're certainly still buzzing at night. All along the main roads, the motor vehicles aren't excessively common, but the sidewalks are just as active, if not as loud, from dusk to dawn as they are during daylight hours. Mobians both native to the bustling city and from all around the globe are up and down Towne Street under the light of the mellow street lamps and well-lit windows, as well as a few neon business signs, going to and from popular stops such as the Knothole Pub, Chuck's 365 Diner, and the Mobo-Grande Concert Hall. Even at witching hour, not a soul in Mobotropolis fears the dark, as there are always people to meet and places to be in the City of Hope.
But on this particular night, there was one fox who, though out in the thick of it all, wasn't part of the buzz of the night crowd. He walked at his own pace; leisurely, if a bit tiredly, he strolled past all the hot spots seemingly unnoticed by all the hubbub carrying on around him. He rounded the corner onto another street, significantly smaller, and calmer for that matter, than the one from which he had just recently turned. As he paced down the modest sidewalk, his path now only lit by the dim street lamps lined up along the route, he hummed a simple tune to keep his mind occupied. He knew that if he didn't preoccupy his senses, some unwanted thought would creep into his mind and prevent him from resting for the rest of the night.
As the young mobian neared his destination, his little humming tune transformed into a sort of idle whistle. Both his tails swayed up and down to their own shared tempo, opposite each other but ever in sync. The young man approached a mid-sized six story building and ascended a small flight of porch steps to a single door at the front. Entering the door without hesitation, he brought his whistling and humming to a sudden stop altogether. Being as it may that he wanted to occupy his mind, he made a point to be courteous, and wished not to disturb other residents of the building at this hour.
The fox's bright blue eyes were somewhat lidded, now more evident in the full fluorescent light of an apartment building. As he passed a wide, green countertop on one side of the lobby, he earned a smile and a nod from a grey wolf who sat behind the counter, and politely returned the gesture while continuing on his way. Making his way to the rear of the open room, he approached a wall decorated by a grid of stainless steel squares, each with small hinges on one side and a keyhole on the other. Pulling out a small key, he slid it into the panel designated "413" and turned it to unlock his mailbox. He was disappointed to find nothing of interest inside the small compartment other than an engraving just inside the door that read, "Prower."
Damn, Tails thought. Nothing today. He chuckled to himself and closed the mailbox once more, turning to head toward a nearby flight of stairs. I guess I shouldn't be surprised; I payed all the bills ahead of time and nobody else writes me unless it's my birthday. Seemingly satisfied with his little personal joke, Tails began to ascend the steps.
Unfortunately, with the obligatory mail-check out of the way, Tails found the lack of an occupation for his mind beginning to sink in. He reeled through many different topics in his head, not wanting to think about anything strenuous as he was already tired enough. That plane is getting harder and harder to keep up with, he thought. The Tornado II was originally Sonic's plane, but was bequeathed to Tails due to the attachment he grew to it during the wars. Over the years, the Tornado soared through many harsh battles and chases, getting beat up and subsequently repaired nearly every time it was flown. While she was still a great plane, and the two-tailed fox always kept her in fine condition by taking the utmost care in his repairs and maintenance, she was getting older. And as of late, with Tails always busy enough doing heavy jobs for clients, the Tornado was starting to get in the way.
I don't want to admit it, but it may be time to let her go soon, he thought solemnly as he rounded the corner to another flight of stairs. He could always get another plane; that wasn't the hard part. What hurt was the thought of having to let go of the one he was closest to, the machine that had fought beside him, that he knew like no one else did. He'd always have his memories of the blue baron, but if he had to let her go, he'd never be able to have the same connection with another plane again.
Thinking of his attachment to the Tornado almost reminded Tails of... NO. He didn't want to think about that right now, of all things. Keep your cool, Prower. You're happy for her. He'd spent too many years hiding his feelings for one person in particular. He wasn't about to start letting it get to him now. He just considered himself lucky to still have her as a friend. That's why he could never tell her; he was afraid that it would push her away. And then he'd have nothing...
Somehow, in all this ponderous thought about personal problems, the young fox suddenly found himself standing in front of the door to his apartment. How long have I been standing here? he wondered. I hope nobody passed by while I was spaced out like that...
Shrugging his shoulders indifferently, Tails pulled out his keys once more and inserted one into the deadbolt. As he turned the key to unlock the door, he found that the lock slid easily and without a resolute *click*. "What the hell..?"he mumbled at the door. Did I forget to lock the door this morning? Turning the knob to the now-worrisome door, the confused kitsune paused for a moment to think back to the morning prior. No, he told himself, I definitely remember locking up. He had accidentally dropped his keys in the hall earlier that day as he attempted to lock the door while balancing a large box of spare parts in his other arm. Carefully maneuvering his left tail, he was able to pick up the keyring with the tail-tip and bring it back up to his hand, making sure to lock the door steadily this time.
Back in the present, the former Freedom Fighter's past experience with ambushes and traps had taught him better to be safe than sorry. Bracing himself for anything, he cautiously pushed the door out of its snug frame in such a way that it made as little sound as possible, and then quickly swung it halfway open to reveal...his dark, empty apartment.
Tails breathed in a sigh of relief. Well, that was easy. The dim light flooding in from farther down the hallway revealed the silhouettes of everything in his small entryway and the living room just past that. Everything seemed to be as he left it. The lamp in the corner was shut off to keep the electric bill down, his brown coat hung on the wall hook just inside the door, the large furry lump was resting on the sofa, the—
With hedgehog-like haste, the limber young fox slid inside the door and quickly closed it behind him. I don't remember having a pillow that big. Tails silently creeped over toward the sofa until he was close enough to make out the faint outline of the furred intruder. Whoever or whatever this is, I can hear them breathing. It seemed to be about his size, perhaps slightly smaller, and its midsection was steadily rising and falling as though it were...
"Asleep," he whispered.
Still exercising caution, Tails creeped away from the couch and in the direction of a tall reading lamp. Carefully reaching out, he attempted to locate the lamp so as to turn on the switch, but was surprised to find that he'd accidentally missed the lamp as his hand suddenly tapped the wall. Startled, the young mobian drew his hand back in alarm, knocking into the lamp in the process. He failed to catch it, allowing it to fall into his bookcase and make a clatter before landing sideways on the floor. After a split second of silence, he heard a rustling sound from the direction of the couch. Shit! was all he had time to think; acting as fast as his heart was beating, Tails leaped to his right and flipped a switch on the wall to turn on the central overhead light in the room.
"Aah!"
Tails heard the shocked cry of his apparently female intruder as both were momentarily blinded by the sudden flood of light in the room. Before his "guest" had time to react, the fox leaped toward the brown and blue blur of the other party. His realization was too late—he couldn't halt his tackle before he landed awkwardly on the couch, all four limbs pinning down the frightened form of—
"Sally?!"
Tails stared down at the shaking form of the woman in front of him. His brain was wracked with confusion, remorse, and a bit of residual fear as his heart pumped even faster now than it had when he sensed potential danger just moments before. He knew he'd be okay; it was Sally, for Aurora's sake. But the young fox still wanted to know what she was doing here, and for that matter, how she got in without permission. Not that Sally needed his permission to stop by; she was his oldest and most trusted friend, perhaps even more so than Sonic. But that still didn't explain how she came to rest on his small leather sofa so late at night.
"Miles?" Sally called. Her fear was starting to ebb away as she realized it was only the vulpine inventor who had recklessly disturbed her slumber. But he had been perched over her, panting, a worrisome glint in his eyes for nearly two full minutes now. She was starting to worry about him. "Miles!"
This seemed to catch his attention as Tails' eyes refocused, his muzzle closing briefly as he shook his head to clear it. "Sally, how'd you get in here?"
Sally locked her gaze on him as she responded. "Your spare key."
Tails thought about this for a moment. Of course! he remembered. When he'd first moved into this apartment about three years back, the building manager gave him a second key despite the fact that Tails lived by himself. He decided it would be better to give the key to someone close to him than to just have it lying around the apartment somewhere. Being his best friend, his first thought was obviously Sonic, but he dismissed this almost immediately based on the fear that the rambunctious hedgehog would lose the key faster than he could say, "That's no good." With no need for cautious consideration, Tails' obvious choice was the leader of the Freedom Fighters and his single other greatest friend in the world, Sally Acorn.
"Um... Miles?" Sally requested with a slight chuckle, bringing Tails' mind back to the world of the living once more. Looking down at her face, which bore a flustered if not slightly amused expression, he saw that she was gazing at her arms and legs, which were still pinned down by the golden-furred fox's slightly larger body. "Can you..?"
"Oh, my gosh!" Tails exclaimed in sudden embarrassment, hopping off of his friend and offering a hand to help her sit up. "I'm so sorry, Sally. I thought you were... i-it's just... what are you doing here?" the stuttering fox managed to inquire.
Sally's face darkened a bit as she seemed to be recalling some less-than-pleasant recent event. "I, um..." She paused, unsure of what to say, and glanced at the spot next to her on the sofa. Tails seemed to understand, sitting down next to the princess and offering her a warm smile that seemed to say, "It's okay, you can tell me." Sally shifted in her seat and looked up into the fox's big, blue eyes. She shivered. It's a bit cold in here... she reasoned with herself. Finally taking a deep breath, she addressed her friend.
"I need your help," she admitted. She adjusted a strand of auburn hair with her right hand as Tails looked on, waiting for her to elaborate. Her eyes clouded and a single tear rolled down her right cheek. "It's...about Sonic."
Ten thousand lightbulbs suddenly cut on and then exploded in Tails' head as he realized what this was all about. For years now, contrary to popular belief, the first person Sally would run to for advice was not Amy, not Bunnie, not even Nicole. Every time there was a rift between herself and the blue hedgehog, Sally would come straight to Tails for comfort. The kitsune didn't mind it, of course; he was always happy to help his friends, especially the royal chipmunk. But every time Sally would come to him crying about their latest fight, Tails secretly felt a bit more resentment for his best pal.
Sonic and Sally seemed to have some sort of strange connection. Ever since they were young, there was a playful air of romance between the two Freedom Fighters, and everyone could see it. Through thick and thin, no matter how much hurt had been dished out, they would always wind up back in each other's arms. It was popular assumption to all those who had ever met the pair that they were a destined "Hero and Princess" couple. As for Tails, when he was young, he merely appreciated the strong bond between his "big bro" and his "Aunt Sally". But children have to grow up.
One day, when he was fifteen, Tails was walking down an empty hallway at Freedom Fighter HQ. As he passed one of the rooms on the right, he heard a faint whimpering from behind the door. Curious, he gently turned the knob and pushed the door open to investigate. It did not take long to find the source of the sound, for the only living thing in the room was Sally, who lay on her bed, head in her hands, crying. Tails, unsure of what to do in such a situation, stood motionless in the doorway for a moment before coming all the way in and shutting the door behind him. This seemed to startle the young princess as she gasped and jumped up into a sitting position. Her eyes, red and shaking from how long she must have been sobbing, were wide open and fixed on the fox standing before her. It didn't take long for her to start trembling again, and the caring kitsune swooped in and wrapped her in a hug just as she began bawling once more.
"What's wrong, Aunt Sally?" Tails asked sweetly as the young woman's tears finally ceased and her shudders slowed to a slight shivering.
She looked reluctant to explain. "I-its nothing. Don't worry about it, sweetie." Sally appreciated that her friend was there to comfort her, but she didn't want to bother one so young with the type of problems she was going through. But young Tails didn't look satisfied with this response.
"I'm not a little kid anymore, y'know. You can tell me anything." The young mobian gave his signature warm smile that could stop the heart of an angel. Sally nearly melted as she considered what her younger friend had just said.
"...You're right, Miles," she finally agreed. Tails was confused by her use of his real first name; no one but his mother had called him that in years. It felt...good, somehow, coming from his respected older friend. "You're not a kid anymore." She drew him into a tight hug, and Tails couldn't help but notice how warm her embrace was; her strong, comforting arms holding him close, the soft, sweet-smelling fur of her left cheek brushing against his own, and her plush, rounded chest making him feel strangely safe and at home.
From that day forth, Tails never again referred to Sally as his "Aunt"; somehow, it didn't feel right anymore. He was maturing, and the time for childish rituals was over. After Sally explained what had happened between her and Sonic that day, Tails made her promise to never suffer alone again. Over time, he became more and more wary of the blue hedgehog. But he didn't let it affect their friendship, and he certainly didn't tell Sally either. Each time she would come to him over the years with news of a fight or a breakup, he would tell her it was going to be okay, sometimes even advise her on how to best approach the situation. And each time, Tails silently became a little more angry at Sonic for not realizing how damn lucky he was to have Sally around. Being his best pal, sometimes Sonic would come talk to him about it, too, but the blue blur would typically shrug off their problems as some kind of miscommunication and an overreaction on Sally's part.
As much as it angered him inside, there was a part of Tails that relished the days when the unfortunate couple would break up. Sally would run to him once more, usually crying her eyes out, and Tails would welcome her in with open arms. While their friendship was close to begin with, comforting Sally would lead to some of the tightest of hugs and the warmest of embraces. Not to mention that it was the most time they ever spent together, just the two of them, as trusted friends. Though he hated seeing the young woman cry, Tails couldn't help getting addicted to the gleam in her eyes and the way she held on to him as if for dear life as she whimpered the afternoon away. And this is how Tails came to tragically fall in love with the woman he knew he could never have.
He realized it one day when he was seventeen. It was Sally's twenty-second birthday, and all her closest friends had come to her apartment to celebrate. She lived in a complex downtown that had a large field and a pool right in the center; it was late August, so naturally everyone at the party was in their swimsuits having fun in the sun. Lo and behold, it was revealed about an hour into the party that Sonic himself had forgotten it was her birthday until that morning. After a few minutes of yelling back and forth in a heated argument that bowled through topics faster than the hedgehog could run, Sally, who was now on the verge of tears, interrupted Sonic's coarse yelling by delivering a backhand slap to his right cheek. She quickly did a double take and ran back to her room, tears streaming down her cheeks all the way.
Naturally, the young fox was the one to follow the now-crying chipmunk back to her apartment. He let himself in the door and locked it behind him. As he arrived in the doorway to Sally's bedroom, he found her sitting on the bed in a sort of fetal position, already staring at the door as though she'd been expecting him to come after her. She had still been damp from the pool, so there was now a large, wet spot where she was sitting. Her hair, which was also quite damp, hung long and limp over her furry shoulders, adding to the distraught effect of her current appearance. It's kinda cute, though, Tails couldn't help admitting to himself before he approached his feminine friend.
Sally's lips were tightly pulled in as she attempted to stop herself from crying any longer, but still tears rolled one by one and she was shuddering somewhat uncontrollably in place. Tails crossed the room, opening his arms, and as he came in range, Sally quickly grabbed him and drew him in to an embrace. In her haste, what she didn't seem to realize was that she'd pulled the head of the unsuspecting fox to rest comfortably right in between her soft breasts, the tops of which were exposed by her rather attractive blue bikini top. She held him close and he wrapped his arms around her back, stroking up and down gently with one hand. I'm not sure whether she realizes where she's got my face, Tails thought to himself, but it feels really nice... They lay there silently for a few minutes, the younger stroking gently and the elder holding on dearly.
Once she'd finally managed to stop shaking and there were no more tears dripping down, Sally was the first to break the soothing silence. "Thank you, Miles," she said. The young fox slowly lifted his head up to hold her gaze. "Thank you for always being there for me. You're a really great friend."
Tails smiled at her the same sweet way he always did. "O-of course, Sally." He was truly happy that he could always be there for her, and he wouldn't have it any other way. But at that moment, basking in the radiance of her smile, he'd finally come to accept something he'd worried about for quite some time, something that he feared he could never tell the one person who was most important to him.
It's because I love you...
Reeling himself back to the present, Tails focused on Sally's gaze once more. She'd just asked him a question.
"I'm sorry, Sally; what was that?" he inquired, feeling slightly embarrassed for spacing out again.
Sally gave him a small smile and a curious look. "I asked if you're okay," she repeated. "You seem a bit out of it right now. Is it because I came in without telling you?"
If he was being honest, she had startled him by being here, silently waiting for him to arrive. But he secretly knew that this had nothing to do with his absentmindedness since learning of her arrival. "Ah—no, no, it's nothing like that. It's just a bit late, is all," he told her half-truthfully. Glancing at a clock on the wall, he read the time to be 2:03 AM.
Sally seemed to accept this. "Oh," she replied, following his gaze. "I see your point... I got here a little after 10:30, but when I knocked a few times, there was no response. I didn't expect you'd be long, so I just let myself in to wait for you. I lit one of the candles on the bar and sat down, and...I guess I was more tired than I realized. I'm sorry, Miles..."
Tails hadn't previously noticed the scent of melted wax, but sure enough, he looked over at the bar and one of his candles was a little lower than it had been before. The A/C must've put it out after she fell asleep, he reasoned. "It's okay, Sally. You didn't know I'd be working so late. Honestly, I hadn't planned on it myself. There's just so much going on lately..." he trailed off, briefly caught up thinking about business. "Anyway, it's late," he said, "and you're not going anywhere at this time; not on my watch." He glanced over at the door to his bedroom before refocusing his gaze on his auburn-haired friend.
"You can take my bed for the night, and we'll talk all about your troubles in the morning. Okay?"
The princess looked a bit taken aback. "I appreciate your letting me stay, Miles, but I can't just take—"
The fox placed a single gloved finger over his friend's lips, silencing her concerns and eliciting a lighthearted gleam in the eyes of the beautiful chipmunk. "I won't hear it. You're my guest, and I say you'll be staying in my bed. I'll sleep here. Understand?" he demanded playfully, trying to reserve a small smile but failing miserably as he removed his finger from the mouth of his impromptu guest.
Sally's smile grew a little more at this. "Fine," she said simply. She wrapped her dearest friend in a warm hug, momentarily rubbing her cheek against the soft fur of his chest before withdrawing and looking him in the eye once more. "Thank you, Miles. You're always there for me."
Tails beamed. "Of course I am, Sally. What are friends for?" As deeply as he cared about her and as truthfully as he meant every word, it pained him to have to remind himself that she'd never be more than his friend.
As if running on clockwork, Sally's face twisted into a deep yawn. She stood up and stretched her arms before slowly approaching the doorway to her bedroom for the night. As she entered the door and began to shut it behind her, she stopped it with a space just wide enough to poke her head through as she had a last minute thought. "Oh, and Miles?" she called. The fox in question did not respond, simply opting to look up at her and await whatever else she had to say.
"Good night." With a grateful smile, she receded into the room. As the door closed on the quiet apartment, a certain fox found himself alone in the dark once more.
Hello again all! I was so excited about this chapter that I wrote it all over the course of two nights. As promised, it's significantly longer than the prologue, which was only meant to be a teaser for the story to come. Now, the real fun begins!
Poor Tails seems to be harboring some pretty heavy feelings for the troubled Sally Acorn. And Sally has yet to explain what the most recent trouble is between herself and the legendary blue blur. What will come of all this? Personally, I can't wait to find out!
Aren't you the one writing this story?
Yes, I am, but even I don't know the full details of what happens until it's published! A lot of conceptualizing and rewriting goes into a good story, Tails; most devoted writers will tell you that.
Fair enough.
Anyway, that's all for now, guys! Thanks so much for reading, and please don't hesitate to leave a review. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
