"Are you sure you're okay to fly?"
"Amy, I can see just fine. Even if I do have any trouble there's always autopilot"
Amy stared dubiously at the fox standing beside the blue and yellow biplane that was at least one of his pride and joys. Clad in the brown leathers and blue scarf she'd bought, and partially made, for his Christmas gift, he looked more at ease out on the runway than he had at home for the last week and a half she'd been taking care of him
Or he'd been taking care of her? He was long out of his bandages, leaving her awkward mooching slightly more awkward, even if the doctor did say to take it easy for a few weeks.
"But what if something gets in your eye while you're flying?"
"Well... huh." Tails tapped his chin. "I guess it's a good thing my "cute and generous" friend gave me a set of these then?" Tails flicked his wrist with a grin, goggles appearing between his slender fingers.
He did, Amy had to admit, look quite dashing as he pulled them over his head. Even if she had helped him with the laces.
Job well done, you're welcome, Cream.
"Well, let's go. We've got a long flight ahead of us and I don't want to be late." He swung up into the cockpit with a practised ease that was no less for being grounded since last year.
"Where are we going, anyway?" Amy hopped up after him, sliding a case beside her seat. "I looked up those tickets and didn't find anything."
"It's a surprise." He gunned the engine, scarf fluttering over her head as they accelerated and took off. "Not exactly sure how long it's going to take us to get there."
"Ugh. Great." Amy harumphed. He wouldn't be taking the Tornado if it wasn't super far away. This was probably why he'd had her wear comfortable clothes, stuck in the back of a plane with nothing to do for who knows how long...
No, wherever it was, she was getting a free ride. Why be ungrateful? Sonic would be there, she'd get that perfect concert she'd dreamed of, an exclusive concert. Some classical performance? A private showing? Tails being Tails, it could be anything and she wouldn't be surprised.
"Oh! Almost forgot!" Her pilot spoke up. A moment later a small screen flopped over the back of the chair, dangling from string.
"What's this?" Amy arched an eyebrow, sliding her head around the side of the seat to talk without the rush of wind deafening her.
"It's a bit low tech. I never got a chance to install one properly, but you can watch stuff on it."
"You got me a TV back here?"
"Yeah. I didn't really want to have you try wing walking again until I got back in shape. Well, we could if you want to, but-"
"Woohoo! You're the best, Tails!" Amy reached around the other side of the seat to tug his far ear, blowing the back of his fluffy head when he turned to look. "Want to come back here and watch with me?"
"Sorry." Miles rubbed the back of his head, pressing the fur back down. "Autopilot or no, I gotta keep my eye out on the way there."
"Really? Why?"
"Secret!"
"You're no fu- ah!" Amy squirmed as a stealthy tail slipped around to poke her side.
"Go watch stuff!"
"Mean!" Amy sat back in her chair. She'd have faked indignation if he could have seen her, but instead she reached for the screen, perusing a vast collection of stored movies and TV shows he'd either been collecting for awhile or, more likely, he'd been sneaking on his computer to accumulate for her.
Mostly romances. Psh. What did he take her for? She rolled her- wait, that one looked interesting actually…
It was sooner than she expected that the movie froze, just before the end, Tails' voice murmuring over her ear buds.
"Looks like we're lucky tonight."
Amy poked her head up to stare down at the ocean below, unbroken blue as far as the eye could see. She had just turned her head back with a puzzled frown when she saw their destination, not below, but above, the gravity defying landscape of Angel Island floating high above. The verdant cream and orange of its natural mushroom forests were painted more vibrantly than ever in the light of the setting sun.
No wonder he didn't know how long it would take to get there, the floating island's "natural" state was a circle around the Western Ocean. Lucky or intentional, they must have caught it at one of its closest points to the Mystic Ruins Zone where Tails' local lab was. But a concert? Knuckles was the only one living there, guarding the Master Emerald year after year. The thought of him simply allowing a concert on his island was surprising. She'd certainly never heard of anything of the sort. How upmarket was this thing? Was her dress going to be enough?
The plane eased to a halt, Miles hopping from the cockpit, staring at her with those unreadable blue eyes.
"We're a bit early. Do you want to take the scenic route, or would you rather take a shortcut?"
"I wouldn't want to be late and miss the beginning of the show." Amy heaved her case out of the plane.
"That's impossible." He smiled. "Don't worry either way."
Amy tapped her lips. "Mm… Scenic route then. I haven't been on this side of the island before."
Sonic probably wouldn't be early. Better to spend the time walking than just sitting there stewing in her own panicked thoughts. She fell in beside Tails, peering up at rugged cliffs marked high above with the ruins of the ancient echidna tribe. She'd heard the story about how Sonic and Tails had arrived on the island so many times over the years, the mechanisms of the lost civilisation being employed against them...
"Wait, Knuckles does know we're here, right?"
"Hm?" Tails glanced at her, goggles pulled up onto his forehead. "Yeah, of course. I don't think anyone steps foot on this island without him knowing." A hand stretched out towards her as he pointed the other at a jagged natural cave entrance at the base of the cliff. "We'll be heading through there."
"Alright." Amy switched hands with her case and took his hand, peering into the abyss.
Normally 'scenic' meant something a bit different than 'dark hole in the ground', but...
She glanced at Tails, who was staring at her, not moving.
"You okay?"
"I- um- I was going to take your case?"
"Oh. Sorry." Amy laughed, cheeks heating. "I thought it was, uh, y'know. The path is a bit rocky?"
"Don't worry about it." Tails grinned, letting go to grab the case instead, slipping it into hammerspace in a blink. "I'll pass it back when we get there."
Stupid. Amy slipped her hands into the pockets of her stolen jacket to keep her from embarrassing herself again. They'd held hands plenty when they'd been "dating" last month, she hadn't even thought about it. But she was here for a date with Sonic, even if her hero didn't know it yet, and even if things fell through, it wasn't like she could just force Tails to go along with her just so she wasn't alone while she waited for Sonic to come to his senses, that wasn't fair to him or Cream.
She smiled to herself at that one, peering through the gloom of the cave at dull walls barely visible in the gloom. Snuggling together on the couch was a good sign. She'd definitely made the right call to invite Cream over. Her dreams of double dates and heart pounding romance were on the horizon, if a little later than she'd hoped to get Sonic some hands on experience at being… well, "hands on" in time for her birthday. But perhaps she could-
"Careful. Bit of a slope here." A tail brushed her arm. The number one sidekick doing his thing. Endlessly attentive, always looking out for everyone.
Unlike a certain hedgehog who once knocked her into a whirlwind because he couldn't be bothered to rescue her from Eggman properly. Her cheeks puffed in irritation.
"Everything okay?" Tails glanced at her. "It brightens up once we get to the main cavern. Just a bit further."
"Mhm." Amy rolled her eyes. Apart from a few seams of minerals this whole cave thing had been a bit of a dud. She should have just gone with the short- "Wow."
He hadn't been kidding. An enormous opening in the roof of the cave permitted the light of the setting sun to tumble down from the sky above, golden light refracting through natural crystal formations into glittering rainbows that painted the walls of the cavern radiant hues.
"It's beautiful."
"I thought it might remind you of home." Tails had a small smile on his lips as he watched her.
"Quartz quadrant." Amy breathed, running her fingers across smooth crystal, feeling the warmth of geothermal updrafts drifting from the caverns below the ledge they were on. "I was just thinking that."
"We're ultimately heading up there." Tails pointed to the opening above. "I'll need to carry you the last part, but we can get most of the way on foot."
He peered back around, face puzzled. "Amy?"
"Boo!" Amy reared up behind a crystal, magnified through its many facets to loom high above the fox.
"Eep!" He yelped, jumping backwards.
Neatly off the ledge.
"Ah! Tails!"
Amy scrambled over to the edge in a panic, slowing when she saw him hovering just below the ledge, tails spinning. He gave her a plaintive look.
"Did you seriously forget I could fly?"
"...Shut up." Amy turned her head away in a huff. "I'm just... used to worrying about you now, is all."
"I'm not a kid, Amy. I can take care of myself just fine." He dropped down beside her, resuming walking as though nothing had happened,
"Mhm. I bet. And when I leave you're going to go right back to staying up all night and eating bugs and candy, right?"
"I don't eat bugs anymore!" He pouted at her. "And I told you that in truth or dare confidence!"
"Pft. It's just us down here anyway. Still never told me why though. You'd think an adorable little guy like you could just show up anywhere and they'd feed you."
She didn't realise he stopped walking for a few seconds, turning back to see him stood stiffly in place.
"That… didn't happen. No." His blank expression turned into a smile. "I got by okay though."
"Oh?" Amy smirked. "From what I remember of that belly of yours you got by more than okay."
"Hey! I can't help that I was a relentless predator."
"Pffft." Amy broke into a laugh. "You spent all your rings on candy, mister 'predator'."
But Tails wasn't there. A moment later a weight barrelled into her back, sending her flying face first to the floor with a startled yell.
She landed in soft fur, tails coiled around her torso, hands at the back of her neck. Fangs pressed lightly against the side of her ear.
"Candy or your life?" Tails' smug voice whispered, breath warm in her ear.
"Oh, I see, you jerk." Amy pouted, her heart pounding in her chest as she pulled her face free of his tail. "It's all coming out now. You were a candy bandit!" She pushed herself to her feet with a huff.
"Hey! No fair! I predated you!" Tails whined, dangling from her shoulders.
"Fine, I'll admit that was a little impressive." Amy reached down, hooking her hands under her now unwilling passenger's legs to support his weight. "But I don't have anything on me. I'll bake you something when we get ho- back to your lab."
"Ooo, nice. I should pounce you more often."
"Don't you dare!" Amy growled.
They walked on in silence, peering at the glorious display of natural light and stone as they went.
"You know, carrying you like this reminds me of the last concert we went to." She sighed, staring out across the cavern as she walked. "I… don't regret taking you with me. Even though you were a lousy date."
She smiled. She still didn't even know why she'd done it. She'd been lonely, and miserable. He'd been disinterested and sleep deprived.
But he never refused her. Never ran away. That was just the way he was, nice to everyone, modest to a fault, never thinking of himself…
"I guess I take that back actually. You're a pretty good date. When you're awake. Sonic could learn a thing or two from you. And…" She hefted his dense frame to settle more comfortably on her shoulders. "I'm glad I got to know you a bit better. You're an even more interesting little guy than I thought. And I'm happy you and Cream are getting along. And I…" She frowned, twisting slightly to try and peer behind her. "Are you sleeping again?"
"Nope, just listening to you praise me."
Smug jerk. Amy's cheeks reddened.
"Well don't get used to it! But… I feel like I'd be taking you for granted if I didn't say it."
"I don't feel taken for granted."
"Well you wouldn't." Amy huffed. "But you're kind of a doormat, so-"
"Hey!"
"Thanks for being so nice to me all these years. You mean a lot to me."
His arms tightened around her shoulders.
"I'd do it all again. Even the eye thing."
"Ew! No, don't do the eye thing again. I'm still having nightmares!"
"Nope, it's happening now, next Christmas, we're going for double eye things."
"Nooo!"
He picked on her the whole way out of the cave.
