I watched the sun rise slowly from the window in Tails' room. I felt tired. I cried for probably a solid hour, then felt stupid for crying over little things that I didn't have much control over. Everything was going to be fine. One way or another, everything would be fine. I looked over to see Tails sprawled on the mattress, snoring quietly, his blankets thrown all over the place, his tails twitching every so often. It was pretty adorable. I slowly got out of bed, shuffling to the door, slipping back into the living room. The room was gently lit by the rising sun, giving the place a bit of a dim, rosy glow, all the furniture casting long shadows across the floor. I moved over to a window and stared out, looking at the horizon. It was fairly flat, aside from a few square or rectangular… things sticking out of the ground here and there. The rest was fairly hilly and very green. In a word: beautiful. If I hadn't been kidnapped and fallen almost to my death against my will to this place, I probably would have loved to take a vacation here.

"You're up early," Sonic's voice from behind me made me jump roughly 3 feet in the air, give or take. I quickly turned, clutching at my shirt over where my heart would be. The hedgehog gave an apologetic chuckle, putting a hand on his hip.

"Y-yeah, well, I could say the same for you," I replied, slowly dropping my hand. "Don't sneak up on a guy like that…!" I sat down on a nearby chair to steady my nerves for a moment. "Why are you up so early?"

"I'm always up this early," He replied, crossing an arm in front of himself and using the other to stretch it. "I like to go out for a run this time of day," He looked down at me with that odd expression that he had when we were in the van on the way here. "Looks like you didn't sleep a wink, why are you up?"

"I just…" Oh you know, I fell into a downward spiral of bad thoughts and self-doubt and spent the night crying instead of sleeping. The usual. "Once I'm up, I typically don't go back down, you know?" Sonic nodded a bit but didn't seem too satisfied with my answer.

"Well, if you feel tired again, get some rest. You just got out of the hospital in case you forgot," He finished stretching, and that odd expression was gone, replaced with a cocky smirk as he walked towards the front door. "Help yourself to whatever's in the kitchen, I'll be back soon if you need help with anything!" He stepped out the door… and was almost instantly gone. Like, I blinked, and he was nowhere to be found. I heard a distant whirring sound out the window and saw a blue streak of light zip towards the horizon, dashing across the hills and various… things (apparently those are loop-de-loops and to answer your next question, yes they are naturally forming) and out of sight. I shook my head a bit. They don't call him the Fastest Thing Alive for nothing… I haven't even seen jet airplanes that moved that fast.

I returned to the chair, sitting down slowly in it… and just sat there, watching the shadows in the room ever so slowly get shorter and shorter. I idly ran my hand over the arm chair's fabric, feeling the rough texture as the sun finally rose high enough for it to beam through the window, illuminating the small particles of dust and whatever else was floating through the air. I settled into the cushion, almost letting it swallow me… All things considered, everything felt peaceful for a bit. I'd never really been the type of guy to watch the sunrise… in fact, I couldn't even remember the last time I did!

Well I mean, I could, I just didn't really want to. Memories like that were a bit painful.

I sat up a bit as I heard a pair of soft footsteps pad into the room. A still sleepy Tails wandered in, giving me a tired looking smile as he sat down on the couch kitty-corner to me, staring out the window for a while as well. We sat in silence, watching the light around us slowly get brighter and brighter, less and less orange and more and more yellow. I finally took a deep breath and stood, scratching my belly and stretching.

"Do you guys have a shower I can use?" I asked quietly, not really wanting to disturb the peaceful morning. Tails nodded, yawning a bit.

"Follow me, I'll get you a towel… use whatever you want, we got plenty." Tails stood and guided me towards a cozy bathroom. Pretty standard fare, sink, bath and shower, toilet, bare necessities all over. Everything in the house that I had seen so far seemed more designed for function rather than fashion. Not many decorations, and whatever elements were there seemed a bit mismatched… for example, the blue spotted shower curtain didn't seem to match the red towels at all, nor the pink and white striped mats on the floor. But, they added a pop of color to the otherwise white room, which was nice. Tails returned with a fluffy towel for me (this one a nice burgundy) before showing me how to use the shower and how to lock the door for some privacy, as well as showing me the various things I might want to use during and after the shower, before shutting the door to let me do what I needed to do. I sighed and stripped down, taking a moment to look over my body. Nothing looked too bad… a couple of bruises maybe, but nothing too bad. I sighed a bit and turned to my side, rubbing over my slightly protruding belly. I used to be a cross country runner, and was in fairly decent shape… but ever since… it happened, I stopped running. I just didn't feel like going out and doing anything, and it was definitely starting to show…

I tried not to take too long, it wasn't my shower, and I wasn't a fan of using a stranger's shower… which was kinda funny considering I had seen these guys for a large part of my life. I smiled a bit… they all seemed so much like how they are in the video games, and yet… Tails was a bit more open, Knuckles a bit quieter, Amy seemed less Sonic obsessed, and Sonic… well, I still wasn't sure why he was so different… something in the way he looked at me…

Oh yeah, and there was the softly glowing eye thing, that was different. Yeah... that was it...

It only took me about 10 minutes to shower, and another 5 to dry off, put on some deodorant that Tails was nice enough to leave me, and do my hair (all the products came courtesy of Sonic… his hair care ritual is surprisingly involved and complicated), before I was back downstairs in a fresh pair of sweats, this pair a bit baggier on me, apparently from Knuckles. It took no time at all to smell something sweet in the air. I followed my nose past the living room to the kitchen/dining room. Tails was seated at a card table in a folding chair, while, to my surprise, Amy was already here, cooking something that made my mouth water. She looked back, sensing my arrival, and smiled.

"Hey, glad to see you're up!" She looked back at her work, flipping a pancake over. "Sleep well?"

"Er… y-yeah, thanks…" I sat next to Tails in another folding chair before dropping my voice to a whisper. "When did she get here? I've been up since the butt crack of dawn." Tails shrugged.

"You're not allergic to wheat or anything, are you?" Amy asked over her shoulder, looking at me while continuing to tend to the food. I shook my head, which pleased her as she returned to her work.

"She just kinda shows up some mornings." Tails whispered back, leaning across the table like he was about to tell me some big secret. "We never hear her come in, she's just…" He made a motion with his hands, miming a poof or an explosion. "Here." He sat back. "I mean, I don't mind, she kinda makes sure we keep the house clean and keep it… you know… standing."

"Right, it's just you and Sonic living here, right?" I asked, leaning back myself.

"And if it weren't for me, this place would be disgusting," Amy called, waving a spatula in the air. "Sonic should be more grateful for all the hard work I do around here! And speaking of Sonic…"

On cue, we all heard the front door open, and a satisfied "phew" from the front room. Sonic walked into the kitchen shortly after, toweling sweat from his quills. He opened his mouth to speak, but Amy cut him to the quick.

"Have a good run?" She asked, turning fully away from the griddle and walking over to Sonic. Sonic, for his part, tried his hardest to not look surprised or sheepish or… maybe even a bit annoyed. I mean really tried.

"A-Amy, you're here… a-again." Sonic gave a weak excuse for a smile.

Amy was having none of it. She shoved her spatula into Sonic's chest, knocking him back a bit.

"Listen, I didn't come all this way to make you breakfast and tell you guys to clean just so you can throw me to the curb like usual." She said, poking Sonic every couple of words to drive her point home.

"S-Sorry, I-I didn't mean it like that, i-it's good to see you, Ames…!" Sonic backed away, sitting next to me. Amy nodded, satisfied at Sonic's response, before returning to her work. Sonic took a few more seconds to make sure he wasn't in danger of being smacked by something before looking at me. He smiled and shrugged a bit.

"Did you have a good run Sonic?" Tails asked, completely unbothered by what just happened.

"Yup, just like always." He dug his pinky into his ear. "Just a heads up, saw some dark clouds on the horizon... can't tell if they're comin' or goin'…" Tails nodded, looking a bit more solemn. Sonic's hand was suddenly smacked out of his ear as Amy laid down four plates of pancakes, eggs, and sausage. My mouth watered again as Amy sat down, and the trio dug in.

"Someone tell me again why Josh is dressed in Knuckles' sweats?" Amy asked, looking me up and down. I blushed a bit and crossed my arms, trying to make the baggy sweat clothes conform to me a bit more. "He's completely drowning in them."

"'Cuz we already used my pair, and Tails' are too small," Sonic replied, shoveling down spoonful after spoonful of egg.

"You only have one pair of sweats?" I asked, looking at Sonic. He shrugged again.

"We don' weely ware clofs," He said between mouthfuls of egg. He swallowed before continuing, glancing at Amy warily. "We only have the sweats in case the temperature gets way too low. Amy needs clothes for decency's sake."

A million questions regarding facets of the Hedgehog's body I'd rather not say out loud began to run through my head, and all of them made me blush a bit harder than I care to admit. Amy took another bite, continuing to scan me up and down.

"...good thing I'm taking you clothes shopping today…" She said quietly, reaching over and grabbing Sonic's now empty plate and stacking it below hers with an almost practiced movement. She didn't even stop looking at me or break her concentration. I looked over at Sonic, then Tails, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the intense eye contact from across the table. Sonic smiled sympathetically.

"You need some clothes bud, and I can't think of anyone better to take you." He reassured me. "She's the only one of us who wears them."

Amy seemed to notice my nervousness and dialed back the intensity, giving me an apologetic and easy-going smile. "Don't worry, we'll have some fun, make a morning of it! I'll take you into the city so you can see the sights, I know all the best places to shop, oh, and I'll take you to this amazing cafe for lunch when we're done!" I relaxed a bit… it did sound nice. And Amy seemed more than pleasant to be around when she wasn't boring into my soul. I nodded a bit.

"That sounds awesome," I replied. "Thank you."

Amy smiled and stood. "Great. We can leave once we get cleaned up."

About five minutes later, I was in Tails' biplane, The Tornado, Tails carefully piloting while Amy sat on one of the wings, clinging to a pole, and casually poking at a very thin phone that she could fold up into a small square. I had to admit, I did feel a little bit of anxiety, seeing as my last time in some kind of aircraft didn't exactly go so well… so I didn't realize I was holding my breath until we touched down at the edge of a large, sprawling city, gleaming in the light. I couldn't help but smile… the place looked like something out of a science fiction movie… holographic billboards, floating cars, and everything seemed to be this pristine white that was almost blinding. Luckily, everything was offset by a beautiful garden that seemed to run down the middle of every street, ending every few meters or so to let people cross. I guess since the cars didn't drive along the street, they wanted to do something nice. It created a beautiful dichotomy between the futuristic and the natural. It almost felt like I was in a gigantic zen garden.

We quickly made our way into the city, Amy stopping here and there to examine a couple of things in a window. All the while, I couldn't help but feel a thousand eyes on my back… and there was little wonder why. Not only was I dressed in an all grey sweatsuit, but…

"Amy… am I the only human here…?" I asked quietly, looking over my shoulder in time to see a couple of cows quickly avert their gaze from me.

"Well… yeah," Amy replied, looking over her shoulder as well and shooting a menacing gaze at anyone else staring at me. "Sorry, did you think there'd be more?"

"I guess not," I said quietly. I wanted to crawl into my baggy pants and hide. "I just wish they didn't have to stare…"

Amy pursed her lips a bit before looking up and stopping in front of a store. A smile slowly crossed her face as she looked at me with a determined look. "Then let's give them a reason to stare." She held her hand out to me confidently… and I couldn't help but smile. Her confidence was contagious. I took her hand and nodded. She giggled a bit before pulling me into the store. "CLAUDIO!" She called out, looking around. Almost immediately, a well-groomed raccoon in a tuxedo strutted out from behind a display. His face lit up as he held his hands out.

"Amy, baby!" He cried out, quickly moving towards her. He sounded like one of the guys from Queer Eye, which made me start to wonder exactly what Amy had roped me into. She let go of my hand and took hugged Claudio, the two exchanging air kisses on both cheeks. The raccoon stepped back a bit and gave Amy a once over before pointing at her, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Is that a new dress you're wearing, I love it!" Amy rolled her eyes a bit.

"Claudio, I need a little help-"

"I've been trying to tell you-"

"Not for me!" Amy pretended to look offended before walking over to me and wrapping an arm around my waist. "For my friend here!"

Claudio stared at me, before pulling out his glasses, staring, wiping them off, and staring again. "...who is he? No no, WHAT is he?" I curled in on myself a bit… I wasn't a huge fan of being called a what.

"He is my friend, Josh," Amy started, giving me a small shake. "And he is in need of a complete wardrobe. Stat." It looked like Claudio had a million more question, but the look on Amy's face told him to drop it. He took another look at me before hurrying over and grabbing at my clothes.

"I hope you didn't choose this yourself." He said, looking me in the eye as if I had just spit in his food. I quickly shook my head.

"N-No, no sir." I stuttered, blushing from the attention again. Claudio gasped, putting a hand over his heart.

"Sir! I don't know where you found him Amy, but I like him," He smiled and quickly moved to my side, wrapping his arm around mine. "Don't you worry, Josh, was it? By the time you leave here, I'll make sure everyone will be calling you sir." I couldn't help but smile again as Claudio walked me further into the store, passing by the woman's section… wow, this place was big. "So, tell me about yourself."

"Well… to answer the second question you had for me, I'm a human," I said, looking at the raccoon, who simply nodded. "I'm from… very far away."

"And what kind of clothing do you like, what kind of styles?" Claudio asked, already looking like he was dressing me up in his head.

"Um… jeans and a t-shirt?" I replied a bit sheepishly. Claudio stopped and stared at me for a while before looking back at Amy.

"Where do you keep finding these guys?" He asked her. She only shrugged, an amused smile on her face. I felt Claudio pat my arm with his other hand, his first arm squeezing a bit on mine. "Well don't you worry, we're going to find the right style for you, even if it takes all day." We finally seemed to reach the men's section, and Claudio immediately began to pull various things off of various racks, seemingly at random, though it was clear he had something in mind. We made it back to a dressing room as he handed me a small pile of clothes. "Go try these on, then come out and let's see how you look." I stared at the clothes he gave me… which all seemed a bit… skimpy.

"...are you sure about this?" I asked, looking up at Claudio doubtfully.

"I doubt it'll look good, but we won't know until we try." Claudio gave me a gentle push. "Just give it a shot, you never know!"

While I had to admit, it was fun to try on clothes with Claudio and Amy, after about 15 outfits, even the raccoon seemed to be getting a bit tired. We had moved into a private changing room/modeling studio, and employees had been bringing us back outfit after outfit… but so far, apparently, nothing stuck. I just didn't fit in with the latest Mobian styles. He stared at my latest outfit, something that was ripped right out of an 80's catalog, and shook his head. "No, less is more with you, I've been going the wrong way." He shook his head and moved over to a screen displaying different clothing items. He pressed a finger to the screen and began swiping through the various clothing items. I took this as an opportunity to take a seat, flopping into a seat next to Amy. She chuckled a bit, patting my hand.

"You doing ok?" She asked. I nodded, leaning my head against the back of the seat.

"I've never tried on so many clothes in my life," I replied with a small groan. Amy laughed.

"Claudio doesn't stop until everything is perfect." She said with a smile. "It's why I've never let him pick out an outfit for me."

"Oh, but you let him go at me, gee thanks," I replied sarcastically. She laughed a bit harder.

"I didn't think you'd be so hard to clothe, I guess I was wrong!" She shrugged. "I dunno, I liked you in that white button-up shirt!"

"No way, I looked like I was going to church with grandma." I shook my head.

"Oh hey, that kinda reminds me!" Amy sat up a bit. "What do your parents do?" She asked. The question took me off guard, almost making me fall out of my chair.

"U-Uhm, what?"

"Well, you just were talking about your caretaker, Ms. Hannigan last night, and we all kinda assumed your parents were out of town for work. Unless they're just on a long vacation." Amy stared at me, waiting for an answer. I felt my heart pound a bit. Had I not told them that my parents had…?

"W-Well… they…" I froze for a moment… "...they're architects."

"Really?"

"Y-Yeah, they actually travel out of the country to help design things."

Now, you might be asking, why did I lie? Just seems like it'll make things awkward down the road, or it'll make my new friends trust me less. The truth of the matter was, I just… hated how people treated me when they found out. They started to act like I was some fragile little thing, ready to shatter at the smallest thing…

I wasn't fragile. I just wanted to have everyone at least act like everything was normal. That everything was fine.

Everything was fine.

I wasn't fragile.

"That's so cool, what are they working on now?"

"Oh, I don't know, some government building, they can't say much, it's a bit top secre-."

Claudio suddenly snapped his fingers. "Of course! It's so simple, why didn't I think of this before?" He turned to me and grabbed my hands, pulling me up to my feet. "This is it, we're gonna make you the Belle of the ball!"

"P-Pardon?" I blinked a couple of times, he was talking so fast, I was having trouble keeping up.

"You didn't look good in any of the men's clothes because your figure doesn't match the men here!" Claudio pulled me to the monitor, pointing to what was on the screen. "Your figure is a closer match to a woman!"

"W-woman?!"