Chapter Two
Tails stirred in his sleep, his muscles twitching which caused his fur to ripple. He went to roll over, and stopped after hardly moving a fraction of an inch, feeling another body pressed against his. He paused for a moment, then his lips curled into a gentle smile and he slowly let his eyes drift open. They were met by another pair of crystal sapphire eyes gazing at him lovingly. Miles smiled.
"Good morning, koibito." He purred, stroking Xander's fringe from his eyes. The blue point closed his eyes and cuddled closer to the other fox.
"Its probably not morning anymore.." He giggled, and Tails chuckled.
"You're probably right."
Xander looked up, grinning. "I'm always right." He stated boldly, and nipped the two-tailed kitsune's nose before starting to roll away. Tails stopped him and planted a kiss on his lips before letting him get up. Xander stretched as he got off the bed, then turned around to look down at the vulpine still on the bed whom was laying on his side, one hand propping up his head and the other draped over his hip. Xander smiled.
"Did you sleep well?" He asked in a gentle tone, letting his gaze linger on Tails before he took off his leather jacket. He had slept in it last night, as he had been far too tired to fight with it to get it off. Tails watched him, a tender smile curving his mouth.
"I always sleep well when I'm with you." He replied, dropping the hand beneath his head to let it fall onto his shoulder, nevering looking away from the white one. Xander was squirming into a pair of grey sweatpants, and was pulling the draw string tight as he glanced lovingly at Tails, blushing a bit.
"Flatterer."
"Its only the truth."
The orange fox rolled over and got off the other side of the bed, moving to the mirror. He squinted at himself and raked his fringe with his gloveless fingers, then gave a shudder.
"Eugh.. Scary stuff."
"Nah.." Xander walked up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and snuggling against him. "You always look good."
"Oh now whose flattering?" Tails laughed, turning around and slipping his arms beneath Xander's, forcing the blue point's arms to his shoulders. He nuzzled his cheek.
"Its only the truth." Xander grinned cheekily before brushing his lips against his counterpart's. He cuddled into his chest, and Tails let loose a long sigh, stroking Xander's head fur and holding him close.
"We should go eat." Xander spoke after a few moments, his eyes closed.
"Mm.." Tails' only response, and it took them another few minutes before they let go of each other long enough to leave the room.
Tails laced his fingers through Xander's as they walked down the corridor to the Mess Hall. The two goofed around a bit as they walked down the hallway, including some joking and hip checking into the walls of the corridors. At one point Tails grabbed his boyfriend around the waist and swung him around to his other side, and Xander whacked him upside the head with his fluffy tail. They were chuckling mildly as they reached the end of the hall they were walking down, stopping at the end at the hark of a masculine voice from the corridor to their right. They both looked down to see a smiling Sonic walking towards them, his hands in the pockets of his baggy black slacks and a bit of a spring in his step. Xander cocked an eyebrow at the hedgehog.
"Well somebody got laid." He muttered to Tails, who snorted with laughter. Sonic's eyeridges lifted as he closed in on them.
"I won't ask." He smirked.
"Good idea!" Xander grinned at him before looking at Tails, "I'mma go see whose up." He said, giving him a peck on the cheek. Tails nodded, squeezing his hand before letting it go as the blue point moved off into the Mess Hall. Sonic had been watching them quietly, a mildly amused look on his face. Tails blinked at him.
"What?"
Sonic chuckled. "Oh, nothing."
Tails rolled his eyes, "Ah huh, sure." And the hedghog just grinned.
"How was the party?"
"Oh yeah, you wouldn't know since you left so early.. I take it you had a good time last night then?" Tails arched a brow at his best friend, gesturing at how Sonic was rocking on the balls of his feet.
"Of course." He said a bit smugly, and dodged a swipe from Tails, whom was laughing.
"It was fun! You missed some funny stuff. Did you hear about Red's little trick with the underwear?"
Sonic lifted his eyeridges in curiousity. Tails laughed.
"He stole Rouge's thong she was wearing somehow and went running all over the Hall with it!"
Sonic simply shook his head and chuckled, "How am I not surprised? He's always pulling stunts like that. Thats good though, we need some comic releif."
There was a brief moments pause as the two got a minor hit of the fact that they were still in a war, but it passed when Tails spoke up.
"You know, I honestly have no idea how you and Shad can go for so long. I mean, you left REALLY early last night! Thats really.. Not right.."
The cobalt hedgehog laughed, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand and putting on a thoughtful look. "Well he is the ultimate life form.." His face split into a mischevious grin and Tails let loose a cry waving his hands and closing his eyes tight.
"Nyaah I don't wanna know!"
"What?" Sonic put on a fakely innocent face, and Tails shot him 'the look'. His friend only grinned. "Well you obviously didn't get any." He continued, and the kitsune shook his head with a chuckle,
"We don't do that Sonic."
Sonic chuckled, "You two are cute, you know?"dropping both hands back to his pockets. Tails scratched his nose, flushing a bit.
"Yeah, well.."
"Tails!"
Sonic and Tails looked around to the Mess Hall to see Xander waving him over. "You coming, koi?"
Tails' face lit up, then another lower masculine voice gave a greeting from directly behind him, causing him to jump about a foot and grab his chest. He whirled around to face the owner of the voice, and was met with a ruby red gaze. There was a long scar on the left side of his face that went from his ear to his jawline.
"Shadow, you scared the shit out of me!" Tails' eyes were wide, and Xander was cracking up at the doorway to the Mess Hall. Sonic's focus was glued on the red and black hedgehog, glimmering lovingly.
"Sorry," Shadow smirked, ruffling the fur between his ears.
"Tails come on!" Xander gasped between his laughs, beckoning him. Tails smiled at him.
"Justa second!" He turned and socked Shadow in the shoulder, hard, then darted off after the blue point before the hedgehog would retaliate. The two foxes dissapeared into the Mess Hall. Shadow shook his head, chuckling. Sonic was snickering, and was rewarded with a sideways look from the black and red male.
"He's vicious, that fox." Shadow said in a rather blunt tone, laced in amusement, which brought more sniggers from the hero.
"Thats Tails for you."
Shadow frowned, "He used to be such a cute little guy." Sonic moved over to him, slipping his arms around his waist and leaning his head on his shoulder.
"Well we've all changed Shadow," He sounded almost tired.
"I know.." He wrapped an arm around his look-a-like's shoulders, looking thoughtful, then turned his gaze down to him, smiling. Sonic only smiled back at him as they walked into the Mess Hall. Immediately the large cave erupted into cheers, the hundreds of anthros seated along long wooden tables whooping as the two hedgehogs entered. Almost everyone was looking at them, calling and clapping and whistling. Shadow grinned and laughed as Sonic gave a huge fluffy bow to everyone, twirling his hands and dipping his head. After a moment the cheering died down and everyone resumed talking and laughing, and the two hedgehogs walked down one of the tables to sit down with Tails, Xander, Knuckles and Rouge. Rouge was sitting on Knuckles' lap and feeding him grapes. She was leaned in close to him and popping them into his mouth one by one. Shadow smirked and sat down beside Tails, and Sonic sat next to him. He rolled his eyes at the bat and the echidna, and threw a blueberry from a basket on the table at them. Knuckles looked around, then threw the blueberrie back.
"Shouldn't play with your food!" He grinned, and Sonic rolled his eyes.
"You're one to talk!" He replied, gesturing at the grapes Rouge was holding. She batted her eyelashes playfully. Shadow shook his head, smiling lightly. Tails laughed as Xander looked up, and the white fox had syrup all over his snout from wolfing down strawberry pancakes. The others looked over at him, and he blinked innocently.
"What?"
They laughed and Tails licked his nose. His lips split into a large smile.
"Blueberry syrup?"
"Its blueberry?" Sonic's ears pricked as he leaned over the table to look at Xander, and when he nodded the blue hedgehog grabbed some pancakes. Shadow laughed and passed the syrup down to him once Tails handed it to him, and the blue hedgehog promptly drowned his breakfast in the sugary substance. Now everyone was watching him, and just before he started eating he looked at them all.
"Well are you gonna eat or just stare at me?"
Shadow laughed and looked down the table for a bowl. "Hey Rouge pass me that bowl." He pointed, and Rouge turned from feeding Knuckles to pass him the bowl, which he started filling with cereal.
"Hey Knux," Xander spoke, licking syrup off his fingers, "Don't you ever get sick of those things?" He pointed at the grapes. "You eat them all the time."
"Hey," Knuckles gave him a serious look and leaned against the table. He had one arm around Rouge, but the other he propped on the table and pointed a finger at the blue point fox. "Grapes have a very high kink factor you know."
Tails rolled his eyes as Xander giggled, "Only you would think so."
"No no, I agree!" Rouge grinned. Sonic looked up from his pancacke and syrup soup.
"Thats because you two are odd." He said around a mouthful of food. Knuckles winked and Shadow poked his cheek.
"Don't talk with your mouth full, itoshii."
Sonic swallowed and gave the black hedgehog an innocent grin.
"So that was some mighty quick thinking, ne?" Knuckles' voice. He was still leaning against the table, and Rouge was popping the grapes into her own mouth now, looking across the table at the foxes and hedgehogs.
"What was?" Sonic.
"With the last battle," Rouge replied, "Tails and his diversion."
Tails looked up, he had been licking syrup off Xander's snout. Xander also looked, and his face lit up. Shadow looked around at Tails, smiling.
"Yeah it was. Its a good thing you got them off Sonic and I."
"Yeah, thanks bud!" Sonic winked over at him, grinning as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and licking the syrup off of it.
"You know they're getting stronger." Shadow said in a quiet tone. Everyone else went silent as he said this. Xander dropped his eyes to his plate as Tails looked over at Shadow. Knuckles looked between the four of them, and Rouge chewed her grape very slowly.
"Yeah, we're going to have to be more careful." Sonic looked at everyone. "They're training their slaves harder now."
"Its disgusting." Xander said bitterly, staring at his plate.
"Yeah.." Tails nodded, and so did everyone else, although mutely.
"We'll beat them one day." Knuckles said confidently, breaking the silence that had hung for a long moment and dropping his hand on the table. "With the other Freedom Fighters and ourselves, there is no way they can win."
Tails nodded, and Shadow kind of gave a half-smile. Xander looked up, the faintest of smiles on his lips. They all knew that they had over a thousand Tenshi, and there were other groups of fighters just like them scattered all over the country.
"You're right. We'll beat them!"
Suddenly a blue mouse went bolting by, chased by a white cat and a pink fox. They were squealing and laughing, and as the mouse and cat took off, the fox stopped for a moment to wave at them. "Tails! Xander! Come one, we're going above ground!" She giggled and took off again. The two other kitsune's had watched them run by, and looking back Tails grinned.
"We'll meet up with you guys later!"
Xander leaped to his feet and took off after the three, Tails on his heels. Knuckles looked after them with a thoughtful expression.
"Ahh.. I remember when I was young.." He started off, and Rouge whacked him.
"No you don't!"
"Yeah, you're right.."
Sonic laughed and shook his head as Shadow stretched and stood up aswell. "I think I'm going to go up, too."
Sonic looked up, licking syrup off his fingers. He smiled, "We should all go up." He looked across the table and Knuckles and Rouge, and they both smiled aswell, nodding. As they stood and started for the door, somebody suddenly cried out "FOOD FIGHT!" And they had to duck a salad flying across the room. Knuckles let loose a whoop and jumped up on the table, picking up a sandwhich and hurling it across the room. Rouge laughed and hid under her wings from the fight.
"Well at least they can still have fun!" Sonic shouted over the loud laughing and partying as he and Shadow darted out of the hall, ducking under flying food.