Face Thy Fears (Part 4)
"Sonic, may I ask if the food will be ready soon?" Tails whispered sheepishly as he glanced around from where he was currently sitting, fingers nervously fidgeting with his namesakes.
The two friends were presently sitting in a diner named Danny's, waiting for their food to arrive. Tails, per usual, still felt uneasy due to the feelings of curious stares and glances directed at his twin appendages, but thankfully, he was not as jumpy as before.
Unfortunately, that did not mean he was completely okay with having to sit still in one place and listening to the whispers coming from those who were, not so subtly, pointing fingers at him.
This was not an issue when he was outside, because everyone was busy, and he was constantly on the move, so whatever happened, he either did not know or could not bring himself to care much. However, being confined inside the enclosed space limited by the four walls of a diner along with a group of strangers, most of whom seemed to have lots of free time on hand, was a very different story altogether.
"I can feel them talking about me…And from what little I gathered...not good..." Tails lowered his body even more, trying to tuck the twin tails away in vain. His ears were flat against his head in an attempt to block out the murmurs.
Letting out a sigh and feeling nothing but sympathy for his little friend, Sonic patted the fox's trembling fist gently and offered a small smile of comfort.
"Hey, it's okay, just remember, I'm here for you, buddy," Sonic said softly, his gaze sincere and reassuring. "Don't you care about what they are doing, just focus on getting our belly filled and then get out, okay? They'll probably stop any time soon."
He received a weak nod in response, earning an encouraging smile from the hedgehog.
"Speaking of food, here it comes!" Sonic then exclaimed cheerfully, prompting Tails to look up. He then spotted a waitress coming their way, carrying a tray with a bowl of salad, another with a medium-sized steak, two glasses of lemonade and, as a staple in every Sonic's meal, a dish full of chilidogs.
"What's the deal with you and chilidogs anyway?" Tails asked, slightly humored when his friend grabbed the dish of chilidogs before it was even placed on the table.
"Ah, the love of my life, mon ami," replied Sonic, "Now dig in. It's about time we put some food into that tiny body of yours, buddy."
Tails then took one look at everything that was placed in front of him, and his eyes instantly went wide.
"You mean, this is all mine?" he exclaimed, pointing at the food on the table. Sonic, already gulping down his food like it was the last meal he would ever get, swallowed and nodded.
"Yup! And you don't need to clean your plates. Just try to eat as much as you can. We'll take the leftovers home for another day," he then tossed what was left of his second chilidog into his mouth and savored the taste of the treat, humming to himself in satisfaction.
Not another word was uttered from the hedgehog as he reached for and started to gulp down his third chilidog, chewing in bliss.
Tails, hesitantly, reached for his fork and knife and cut a small piece of the steak, all the while trying to ignore the newcomers and their stares. Slowly, he put the tiny piece in his mouth and chewed. As the taste exploded in his mouth, his eyes went wide and Tails chewed even faster, letting out soft hums of appreciation.
"This is good!" he said briefly before cutting a larger piece.
"Of course," Sonic agreed and grinned rather proudly, "I wouldn't settle for anything short of the best for my best pal after all. And nothing quite beats the food at Danny's. Now eat up before we head back."
Not needing further incentives, Tails continued his meal, dining happily and for the first time since coming into the diner, without a care.
"Whoa, slow down, bud," Sonic commented with a chuckle, noting how fast the fox's hands were moving, "The food will still be there when you're done chewing."
"You're one to talk, Sonic," Tails shot back, playfulness apparent in his tone, enticing a laugh from the blue speedster.
"Touché!" said the hedgehog before finishing his fourth chilidog of the day.
The two friends continued to eat in a comfortable silence, not even caring what the other diners were doing. As a result, they also failed to notice that someone else was sitting at a table in the corner, closely studying them from behind the raised menu.
…
"That was delish!" Tails said, patting his belly gently.
"Wow, and here I was hoping I would at least have some leftovers for tomorrow" commented Sonic, faking a disappointed look. Tails simply laughed and responded with a rather good impression of the French accent, "C'est la vie."
"Great, now I have a multilingual and utterly sarcastic fox to deal with. Yay me!" said Sonic playfully, both hands in the air to express his supposed frustration. His antics served to provoke another bout of laughter from Tails, much to his delight. Alright, I would say that's enough for one day, let's head back, shall we?"
Tails agreed, his full tummy made him completely forget about everything else at that moment. Once Sonic had paid for the food, the two left and began their journey home in silence.
It was not until they had reached the entrance to the forest that Tails grabbed Sonic's hand, catching the former's attention.
"What is it?" asked the hedgehog, his voice strangely patient.
"…I just want to say thanks…" Tails mumbled and turned his head away to hide the pronounced blush on his cheeks. "I…I had a great time in the city today…Well, not exactly great, more like bearable."
"That's good to hear," replied Sonic, "And don't you worry your little head too much, pal. A couple more trips like this, and they'll get used to your presence in no time. Trust me, been there done that, and now here I am."
"...Thanks…" Tails said again, glancing sideway at the hedgehog.
He was about to say something else, but whatever was in his mind was lost when his ears picked up a strange rustle a few feet away from their current location.
"Did you hear that?" he asked, turning around to where the source of the noise, prompting Sonic to do the same, albeit in the latter's case, he was slightly confused.
"What is it?" asked Sonic, already stepping in front of Tails and signaling for the fox cub to stand back while exercising extreme caution for any potential threats that might occur.
"I thought I heard something from that bush over there," Tails whispered and pointed at said bush. Mouthing a brief "Stand back" to the fox, Sonic then carefully approached the target. With Tails near, he would not risk anything by moving in recklessly – One incident with a shot down Tornado was more than enough in his book.
"Gotcha!" Sonic suddenly exclaimed when he was close enough, leaping forward in an attempt to capture who or what was lurking in the background. What he did not expect was to be hit, squarely and painfully, in the face by a hammer. The force of the sudden attack even managed to knock him back, but thanks to his well honed reflexes, Sonic was able to land on his feet.
"What in the…" he muttered, faintly registering the fact that Tails was asking if he was alright. Before the hedgehog could run in for a second round, another voice spoke up from behind the bush, stopping both friends instantly in their track.
It was a female voice.
"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, Sonic, are you alright?" she said, sounding both frantic and concerned at the same time. The moment the new voice was heard, Sonic's eyes shot up momentarily before he let out a groan.
"Great!" he muttered, loud enough for Tails to catch.
"Well, it was partly your fault for suddenly jumping me like that" she continued, this time walking out of her hiding spot completely, sweeping away some stray leaves from her hair and clothes.
"Amy…" Sonic grumbled, rubbing his temple tiredly, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on Little Planet, the place that's, you know, faraway?"
"Isn't it obvious, Sonic?" she answered dreamily, and Tails swore he saw her eyes turn heart-shaped, which is scientifically impossible as far as anatomy goes. However, he chose to stay silent to see what kind of relationship his best friend and the pink hedgehog shared.
"I've been looking for you since our fated meeting in Little Planet. After all, we are destined for one another," Amy continued her monologue, completely oblivious to the series of frantic hand gestures Sonic was giving Tails, much to the cub's amusement.
Amy then went on and on about how their meeting was fated to happen while Sonic and Tails quietly made their escape by tiptoeing away from the female.
"Oh, and when you rescued me from that robot and held me in your arms, I could see it clearly, our future together…I've been following your move ever since, and now, I've finally found you, and we can be…where are you going?" It was then that she finally noticed the two's escape attempt, much to Sonic's dismay.
"Look, Amy," he began, "It was nice to see you again, but, uh, we have to go. My little buddy Tails here needs to take his nap…"
"No, I don't…" Tail started, only to get pinched, causing him to yelp out loud, "I mean, sure thing, Sonic, whatever you say," he spoke through gritted teeth, a mean glare was subsequently shot at his older friend.
"Oh come on, Sonic, it's been such a long time since we last met, and now, wait a minute, who is your little friend over there?" Amy asked, realizing for the first time that Sonic was not alone.
"My name is Miles, but you could call me Tails, miss Amy," the fox introduced politely, complete with a formal bow of his head. The act alone as well as his shy mannerisms proved too much for Amy to handle, and a moment later, she was instantly overtaken by the child's cuteness and squealed loudly.
The males had to cover their ears to preserve their hearing.
Before either Tails or Sonic could move, the former was tackled by a flash of pink and green. Tails felt he was being squeezed rather tightly, the force of the arms around his body causing him to have some difficulties in breathing.
"Oh, he's the sweetest thing I've ever seen," Amy began, tightening her hug even more, "And look at him, those eyes, those ears, that voice, oh, and those…tails?" she asked, confused at the twin appendages waving back and forth in the air.
Immediately, Tails tensed up in her hold, eyes widened in fear and anticipation for incoming insults.
"Amy…" Sonic warned, a frown already forming, but the addressed did not seem to notice. Instead, she took another moment to study the twin tails in silence, mouth agape and eyes filled with surprise.
Sonic was about to call out again, but Amy beat him to it, letting out another loud squeal, causing the male hedgehog to once again cover his ears.
"Those tails! Oh my gosh, they are so…so…"
"Freaky? Weird? Abnormal? Freaky?" Tails' mind filled in the blank, recalling the numerous degrading terms that he had been subjected to in the past.
"Adorable!" she gasped out. 'Wait, what?'
Oblivious to the little fox's inner turmoil, Amy continued rambling, "This is the first time I've seen a fox with two tails. They are so positively adorable!"
At that moment, Tails' mind went blank as he looked at the one holding him. Despite the strength she put in her hug, she was not malicious, just a bit excited.
"Oh, my, I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" said Amy again, this time not in the affectionate tone she had been using. Rather, her voice was filled to the brim with worry and fear – for his sake.
"But what is she worried about?" Tails asked mentally before he felt something wet running down his cheeks. Quietly, Tails raised his freed hands and touched them, and only then did he realize he was crying.
"Are you okay…Miles, or Tails or whatever you prefer?" Amy asked, not quite knowing what to do.
"Tails?" this time Sonic chimed in, but unlike Amy, he did not sound frantic. In fact, he sounded somewhat pleased and relieved.
"I…I…I'm okay…" the cub managed to gasp out, voice still shaky and quiet, but there was a small smile present on his lips. "I'm okay..." he said again, louder, effectively quelling Amy's concern as a result.
"Phew, what a relief…I thought I hurt you," she hugged Tails again, but not with as much force as before, "Oh, and by the way, I'm sorry for scaring you, Miles…"
"Please call me Tails, miss. And no, you didn't hurt me. Thank you for your concern and...kindness."
"Good! My name is Amy. Amy Rose. It's a pleasure to meet you. A friend of Sonic is a friend of mine. Who knows, you may go to our marriage one day…" Amy looked at Sonic when she said that, much to the cub's confusion, yet again.
"Okay…That's enough for one day" Sonic chose this moment to cut in, his voice taking on an unusual pitch, before he gently pried Tails away from the female's hold. "Amy, it's nice to see you again, but we have to get going…Like I said, Tails here needs his afternoon nap, so…"
Suddenly, the sky began to turn dark, and a few droplets of rain fell down.
"Great, the one day I didn't check the weather forecast and this happens," mumbled Sonic, irritated.
"Would you like to come to our house for a visit, miss Amy?" Tails spoke up, shocking his best friend into stunned silence almost immediately, "It would be rude to leave you out here in the rain like this."
"Really?" Amy squealed, yet again, and even gave Tails a small peck on the cheek, causing the shy fox to blush madly, his entire face taking on a red hue. "Thank you! I would love to! Oh, you are such a little gentleman, Tails, just like my Sonic here."
In response, Sonic only groaned audibly and deflated. "Why oh why, Tails?" he mentally accused his little friend of having sentenced him to the most horrible torture imaginable. However, when he looked up to face Tails' beaming and almost radiant smile, Sonic, even in his sudden foul mood, could not prevent a small smile to grace his lips at the innocent and broad display of unconcealed joy of the fox child.
"Oh well, as long as he's happy…" he added before shaking his head tiredly and getting ready to go home with a new guest before the rain got heavy.