"I… um... hope you guys liked- ah!" Miles yelped as Amy lifted him into a hug, swinging him around over grass dimly lit by hidden lighting.
"Tails that was amazing!" She squeezed the air out of his lungs with a squeal.
"Good as ever, little guy." Knuckles smiled, ruffling Miles' headfur while he was held captive. "Let's go to my cabin and grab you two a drink before you head back, alright? I'll handle cleanup in the morning."
"Sounds good, thanks." Miles nodded. "You two go on ahead. I'll go unhook the power and I'll be right behind you, okay?"
He waved as they left, slowly making his way across to the piano once more, fingers slipping under the rim to press against a hidden switch. The lights flicked off, leaving only the stars and moon shining down from above, the light of the Milky Way clearly visible in the absence of civilisation for hundreds of miles all around, reflected off the surface of the lake like it too was a portal to other worlds and unfathomable secrets.
Miles sighed, fingers pressing blindly against the keys. A dissonant chord broke out across the night.
At least she hadn't laughed at him, though he'd concluded that much about Amy's behaviour long before he'd dared invite her. But dragging her out here had started to feel like shameless egotism when he'd meant for this to be a chance for her to see Sonic, not just listen to his amateur music evening. And her poorly concealed disappointment when he'd been about to go up and play had just doubled his embarrassment. It was almost a blessing that her apartment had been ruined so he'd had something more useful to give her as a gift.
Well… It had been a blessing for him at least. He'd liked having Amy around. He'd liked having someone to talk to when Sonic was out being Sonic. And, even if it chafed, he'd liked having someone care for a little bit, even if that was simple guilt related to his injury in the first place.
And he'd liked her being happy, and above all stable, around Sonic. For once she'd got to show off, if not the courage and heroism that were so incredible then at least the sweet and helpful nature that was so often suffocated beneath the intensity of her passions and the severity of her temper that normally dominated her interactions with the hedgehog. Miles didn't understand much about romance, but they'd seemed to be getting on better.
So much for change. This felt excruciatingly familiar.
"You can come out now. They're far enough away." He sighed. "You might do that 'magic portal' stuff to Amy but I don't think you'd do it to me."
Sonic had been the one to introduce him to music in the first place, an avid enthusiast from his days as a vocalist in a band with Vector during their youth. Sonic had been the one to encourage him to branch out into different instruments and even the first to suggest Miles do these performances in the first place and he had never missed a single one.
But his words faded into the night without any response but the wind itself, a chill breeze that ruffled through his fur. Amy was probably feeling cold right about now.
Miles glanced around,
...Well, maybe he was wrong then. That hurt. A lot. But at least he didn't look stupid talking to hims-
"Hey."
Miles turned to see Sonic at the foot of the "stage", arms crossed and barely visible in the dim light.
"Those magic portals were totally real, you know."
"Sure they are." Miles rolled his eyes. "Where were you? I know I didn't tell you about Amy coming, but-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, that's fine, Tails." Sonic held out his hands. "I'm happy you're showing more people. You were great."
Miles sighed.
"Then where were you?"
"Woods. Just over there." He pointed.
"Do you hate her that much?"
"Huh? Of course I don't hate Amy. She's a great friend. But there were just two chairs, and then there was a candle…"
"You didn't want it to look like a date."
"You got it." Sonic sat on the stone foundation, slapping the surface beside him.
Miles complied, dropping next to his hero, tuxedo tails splayed out atop his own.
"You know she was really looking forward to seeing you here. Even if Knuckles had been there too that would have been fine. She's been doing really well with the hammer thing and-"
Sonic raised his hand, Miles fell silent.
"Tails, I know how she feels about me. Half the planet knows how she feels about me. She's tried to beat me - and you - into a pulp over how she feels about me." Sonic shrugged. "I don't know what to do with her. I already agreed to go on a date with her for her birthday, but..."
Miles nodded. It wasn't like Sonic had really given her mixed messages at any point. He'd been almost perfectly consistent, except Amy wasn't set up to receive any message that wasn't yes, and Sonic couldn't bear to make her cry. At least on purpose.
"So how do you really feel about her?"
"Huh?" Sonic stiffened.
"You agreed to go on a date with her. Again. How do you feel about her?"
There was an uncomfortable silence as Sonic shifted beside him. Miles took a slow breath, steeling himself.
In for a penny, in for a pound.
"I can't keep lying to her, Sonic." He flicked his tails. "I like you both, and I can't. It hurts her and me. Even Knuckles lied to her for you tonight."
"Knucklehead managed to lie?"
"Badly. And barely. He said he hadn't seen you."
"Hey, it's progress, right?"
Miles snorted.
"... How about you figure out how you feel and tell her straight next 'date' instead of falling in a magic portal? I think she's earned that."
"... I'll think about it, little buddy."
"Thanks." Miles stood. "And thanks for coming. Try to think up a good story by the time you show up at my lab again or she's probably going to hit you."
"Tails! I keep telling you those portal things are real!"
"We're leaving east in about twenty minutes. Maybe give her a day or two before you come ho-...over to my workshop to let her cool off. And let me know next time Eggman starts causing trouble, I'm better now. No promises I won't be bringing her along though."
"Ugh." Sonic stood with a grunt. "Fine. Good job again on your concert, little buddy. Hopefully next time you'll do it in front of a bigger crowd. Goodnight."
"Night." Miles didn't turn as Sonic vanished from sight, whether to hide until they left or pre-empt their departure he didn't know.
He sighed, stomach still in knots as he started walking.
He'd taken the first step in this dangerous experiment of "change". Now he just needed to figure out how to help make that change happen in the right direction.
And what that direction even was.
