"Well, they say never to work with small children and animals." Tails slumped down beside Amy with an exasperated huff.
"Cream's almost seven, and I don't even know what chao are." Amy snapped.
"Well... they're both still pretty small though." The fox shrugged.
Amy sighed, dropping her head to her knees.
"Guess the joke's on us either way."
He was right. She was a joke. He was a joke. Sonic definitely thought she was a joke. She'd been avoiding Rouge's calls all week, and her workmates had the video on loop for the last two days. There were probably alien civilisations out there that saw her dancing around and singing like an idiot.
And all she'd wanted was to sit in a boat with Sonic.
And she was a joke there too.
She'd tried being nice, and sweet, and mature, and apparently she'd tried being an immature goofball and she'd tried being direct and she'd tried getting the smartest guy in the world to try and help her and she'd still managed to crash and burn.
She should just throw herself in the canal.
No, wait. Tails could swim. He'd probably just save her.
Jerk.
"I'm sorry," she told her shoes. They were nice shoes. She'd thought long and hard what to wear. She'd travelled half a continent away and-
"For what?" Tails interrupted.
Amy sighed.
"You should go help Cream find Cheese."
"And leave you here alone?" Tails snorted. "I don't think so."
Why did he think he was even here? Maybe she should just throw him to shore? That would get him moving.
"Besides, I think Sonic's got it covered. He's probably raced halfway through town by now."
Of course. Amy glanced up at the fox hunched over on the seat next to her. She hadn't just failed, she'd dragged him down with her. Some matchmaker she'd turned out to be.
"Well I guess I'd better go grab that oar."
"Why bother? Getting him on this boat was a miracle in the first place, we'll never get him back."
"Well… I guess I could just carry you?"
Fireworks exploded overhead. Amy felt the fox's fur bristle against her.
"Maybe if I stay low?" He grinned weakly, rubbing the back of his head before wincing.
"What's the-" Amy snapped her hand around Tails' wrist. "Are you okay? There's blood everywhere!"
"Oh, uh, sort of broke a stick." Tails shrugged with a smile. "I've had worse."
"I know you've had worse, dummy." Amy yanked him closer to her with a scowl, locking his arm against her chest as she inspected his hand in the flickering lights bursting above. "But that's not what I asked. Does it hurt?"
Tails shook his head.
"It hurts a lot."
"Thought so. Why didn't you tell Sonic?" Amy tutted, tugging a few shards of wood from his glove before pulling the loose material away from his hand and sliding it free. Dark patches of blood welled from the short fur of his palm.
"I didn't want to mess up the plan." Tails' ears flattened against his head.
"Well that sure worked out." Amy snapped, hating herself for it even as she said it.
"Sorry." He slumped lower, making her feel worse.
"Why didn't you have rings?"
"No time. Busy with… everything."
"Dummy." Amy shook her head with a frown, pulling a pair of tweezers from nowhere as she plucked at the longer shards. Sort of wished she had fingerclaws like a human right about now. "Tails if you were anyone else I'd be taking you to a hospital, you know that? Or at least a ring dispensary."
Did human towns even have ring dispensaries? Station Square did, but they had at least a small mobian population living there.
"I'll be fine." Tails shrugged as best he could, wrist straining against her grip. "I've-"
"Had worse. Shut up." Amy dragged half an inch of wood free from his hand, wincing on his behalf - he barely even reacted. Blood dripped on her dress, didn't matter. Sonic hadn't looked at her anyway.
"Sorry."
"And stop apologising." The boat bobbed in the water as another gondola sailed past, laughing humans not even glancing their way as their passing dragged the mobians' boat in their wake.
"...Okay."
Another firework exploded above. He jerked in surprise, driving the tip of the tweezers into his palm.
"Penders! Hold still." She glanced at his tails. They were usually better indicators of his mood than the rest of him, puffed up and flicking harder than usual. "You okay?"
"I… don't like it here very much." His whisper barely reached her ears.
Of course he didn't. Amy clenched her jaw. He didn't like crowds, he didn't like sudden noises or flashes. Surprises in general made him uncomfortable. And as usual she hadn't thought about any of that one bit. As usual she was worrying about a stupid internet video and getting Sonic to look at her while Tails was probably sitting there remembering the time he drank a bee smoothie and Eggman blew off his butt or something. And he was pretending he was fine because she was relying on him. No, taking advantage of him, to get her just a single happy moment where she could pretend Sonic wanted to spend time with her. She was just so-
"Are you okay?"
"Pathetic."
Tails flinched.
"Not you. I suck." Amy wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand, ears downturned as she stared out across the water at the dimming flames. "No wonder Sonic doesn't like me."
"Well... I think you're pretty great?"
Amy snapped around to stare at the little fox. He shrunk slightly from her expression.
"What? I think you're in the top five people I know." He looked away from her, rubbing the back of his head.
Amy blinked. That was...
"Rude."
"Huh?" Tails turned back in surprise.
"Only fifth, huh?" She smirked.
It was a sweet, if obvious, lie. Tails knew the world's top heroes, presidents, royalty, the idea that a part time patisserie chef was-
"I didn't say you were ranked at the bottom." He stared at her with that unreadable gaze, flames reflecting off eyes more blue than the water around them.
"... Stop trying to make me blush before I push you overboard."
"Oh. Uh. Sorry." He turned away, ears downturned.
Looks like she didn't have to worry about his love life after all, Cream didn't stand a chance against firepower of that magnitude. Amy breathed out heavily, now feeling very glad for the dim lighting in the silence that followed.
"Alright, I've got most of them out. Grab some rings when you can, okay?"
Tails nodded, silently recovering the limb before staring back down at his shoes.
"Hey, look, there's the royal float." Amy pointed at the bridge ahead, golden robed dancers surrounded the white robed princess as the fireworks display reached a crescendo above.
At least things would settle down a bit when they released the lanterns. She didn't feel much like celebrating anyway. Why did this stupid place have a fire festival in the first place? It was the city of water.
"Great." Tails didn't move, still hunched over, ears laid flat against the world outside.
Amy rolled her eyes, holding out her own bloodstained glove. "Come here."
Tails looked up at her, hesitantly extending his gloveless hand once more with a puzzled frown. Amy grabbed his wrist and pulled, yanking the fox towards her with a yelp of surprise.
"A-Amy?" He went rigid as she twisted him around to plop him on the floor of the dangerously rocking boat. "Wh-what are you doing?!"
"Fireworks are too loud for you, right?"
"I don't need to be treated like a kid." Tails frowned up at her over his shoulder.
"I'm not treating you like a kid. I'm treating you like a friend." For once. "Now face forward and stay still."
She didn't know if he was bristling because of her or the fireworks, but he complied, muscles tensing at her every touch as she leaned around him, pressing against his back, her arms around his chest, his fluffy head tickling her chin.
Had his heart been pounding like this the whole time? Faster and harder than the booming skies above with their endless colours and patterns. Was this from the fireworks, or getting hurt?
Amy sighed, her breathing almost as shaky as his. Part of her wanted to fill the silence, part feared breaking it, the largest part didn't know how to break it.
What had he said before? That he was always struggling? Was this why he stayed away from fighting now? How much struggling had left him like this? How long had he been like this? Steel wire pulled taut behind soft fluff and a quiet smile?
It was hard to remember that he was supposed to be younger than her, sometimes.
The boat finally drifted into the shadow of the bridge, barely moving in the still waters of the canal, shielded from the worst of the noise and flames above.
Amy breathed. Slower now. Keeping the rhythm for him to follow.
Strange how much it helped.
She could think again, though she wasn't sure where she wanted her thoughts to go. To dwell on the miserable failure of the evening? How Sonic was probably somewhere above, happier without her? A life of many failures and few successes? Stuck around stronger, faster, better people and failing to even get them to look at her?
She'd had fun with Cream, at least. The anticipation, the hope, was that feeling why she kept trying?
It couldn't be that she really expected to succeed. She wasn't eight years old anymore. The only fairytales she encountered were the ones that snatched her hero away every time she managed to wheedle a few moments of attention from him.
But what could she do? She was already twelve, thirteen soon. What would she have if she gave up? A rented apartment and a part time job and proof positive that all her love couldn't even get her a third date? A kiss?
Twin tails brushed up to wrap around her twice over.
Was he trying to calm her down now? She couldn't even keep herself stable, how did she think she could help him?
But Tails let out a breath, possibly the first since she'd hugged him, and Amy found herself echoing him.
"I'm doing better now." His tails tightened around her briefly. "Thanks, Amy."
"Next time tell me, alright?" She returned the squeeze. "Especially if you hurt yourself."
"It's fine."
"No it isn't. I might be a bad friend sometimes but I still care about you."
"I don't think you're a bad friend."
"I'm the reason you're here, aren't I?"
"... So?"
"Well, I should have thought about your feelings before I made you come."
"... Amy, last month Sonic took me to Ghost Murder Zone, the only zone with authentic murder ghosts."
"Oh. That time Eggman was beaming crazy-waves everywhere?"
"Yep. Almost got murdered by a murder ghost. It was pretty bad, but Sonic's still my best friend. And you're worried about bringing me to a festival?"
"Well that was for something important." Amy frowned. Fresh reminder how the world of Miles Prower was far beyond any trace of common sense and how little she belonged in it.
"Well, helping you is important too." Tails nodded.
"As important as saving the world?"
Tails shrugged as though the answer was obvious. The lights beyond the bridge had dimmed now, leaving them in near total darkness where they bobbed below the bridge.
"... You're a weird little guy, Tails."
"I'm not going to agree you're a bad friend just because you're rude."
Amy snorted. "Well, I... hit you sometimes, too."
"Knuckles has hit me harder than you ever have. So's Sonic for that matter."
"Sonic? Really?" Amy blinked in surprise. Those two never fought.
"Fire monster, mind-control." Tails shrugged. "It happens. Had to fight 'em both at once."
"... Huh." There was that Prower normality again. "And you… won?"
"Why does everybody get so surprised when I manage to do things?" Tails flicked an ear, it tapped lightly on her cheek. "I am very formidable."
"Well… I guess?" Amy lifted a hand to tug on the fluff of his cheek. "Adorable too… Adormidable?"
Tails made a rude noise. "So… are you going to let me up?"
"Mm…" Amy shook her head. "Not right now. You might have a relapse. And I'm pretty comfortable."
"I am not your plush."
"We agreed that never happened." Amy sniffed. "And I know. You're cuddlier."
"Ughh."
"Cuter too."
"Amy, cut it out."
"And oh so handsome."
"I can throw you overboard too, you know."
"Pfft. You can't even blush, Mister Formidable." She smirked.
"Just because you can't see it doesn't mean I'm not blushing!"
"I'll bear that in mind."
Tails' groan was cut short a moment later as he raised a finger. "Looks like we missed the first lantern."
The dark lit up once more as paper lanterns of every hue drifted up from the crowds like falling stars in reverse. Amy gasped in wonder at the sight, pressing forward to better see up past the bridge into the sky above.
She barely noticed the tails slip off her body until the boat started moving, propelled out into the open once more to reveal the full glory of the sky above.
"Oh. Wow." Amy's jaw fell open.
"I'm sorry you couldn't see this with Sonic."
Amy glanced down into Tails' dimly lit face as he stared upwards. Not at the sky, at her, a thousand paper lanterns reflected in his eyes.
"...Yeah." Amy looked away. "Well... I'd probably have ruined it by now anyway. You know that bridge we just passed under?"
"Uh, yeah?"
"There's a thousand year old legend that any couple that pass under the bridge together during the release of the lanterns are destined soulmates."
"Wh-wh-wh-what?! Really?"
Amy burst out laughing.
"Nope!" She rubbed her knuckles lightly across the little fox's head. "Made it up. I was planning on telling Sonic. Think he'd have believed me?"
"I think he'd have run away fast enough that his feet didn't even get wet."
Amy laughed again, dashing a tear from the corner of her eye.
"Yeah… Well… Sometimes the only thing a girl like me can hope for is to make him a little flustered, you know?"
Maybe he'd have believed it. Maybe he'd have wondered.
Maybe he'd have looked at her.
Just like he was looking at her right now.
"Sonic?" Amy released her grip on Tails as she leaned back, open-mouthed.
"Hey guys!" Sonic waved, leaning over the side of the bridge. "Cool festival, huh? You lose this?" He held an oar silhouetted against the sparkling sky.
"Hi, Mister Tails! Hi, Miss Amy!" Cream poked her head over the side as well, flapping her ears to right herself as she nearly lost her balance. "Mister Sonic helped me find Cheese! And we watched a princess!"
"That's great, Cream." Tails waved up at her with a calm smile.
"So how about you two park that thing already and we all go get something to eat? I'm starved!"
"Be right there, Sonic."
Rather than accepting the proffered oar, Tails simply started spinning his tails once more, propelling them like a speedboat through the water, skidding to a stop at a nearby pier.
Cream, somehow, was first to arrive, Cheese settled between her long ears as she babbled excitedly, dragging Tails by the arm as he tumbled, half backwards, off the boat to leave Amy alone.
"Hey." A gloved hand reached out, distinctive spined head once more silhouetted against the glowing sky above.
"Uh… Hi." Her heart pounded in her chest. Had she dozed off? Had Tails' cushiony nature beguiled her once more?
"I saw what you did for Tails." He scratched his cheek. "...Thanks."
"I…" Amy bit her lip. "I didn't do it to impress you."
"I know." He took her hand, helping her out of the boat. "And that was cool. You're a good friend. Now shall we? I wasn't kidding about being starving. You wouldn't believe how far I had to go to find that chao. Chilli dogs okay?"
And with Sonic leading her by the hand, and Cream yelling at them to follow, Amy quietly revised her ranking for the night.
A plus.
The End