"Are you… sure you're going to be okay?"
Amy stood at the doorway of her - her - apartment building, holding one elbow as she fidgeted on the doorstep.
It felt weird to be back.
It felt natural to be back. Like no time at all had passed, despite the snow long gone. Like the last few weeks had been a dream.
"Of course." Tails smiled, jabbing a thumb against his newly patched pilot jacket. "I've had enough sleep in the last few weeks to do me for the rest of the year."
"You better not!" She scowled at him. "Just because you'll be on the other side of the world doesn't mean I won't be able to yell at you."
"I'll try to behave, don't worry." He looked down the street, fiddling with the cuff of his sleeve.
"I mean…" Amy trailed off, rubbing her arm. What did she mean? "... Did you want to come inside for a cup of coffee? I mean, I may not have anything but-"
"You're fully stocked." Tails looked back to her, eyes blank, smile intact. "But… I… should probably go. I still need to decommission the lab and check the Tornado over before I head out."
"Right. Sure. You're probably super busy right now." Stupid. She'd made them both a cup right before they left. Now he probably thought she was some kind of caffeine junkie or something.
"Well…" Tails rubbed the back of his head. "It was… fun having you around."
"Yeah, me too. I mean, I had fun too. And… thanks again. Be sure to come visit when you're in the area again, right? Don't just forget me and go off with Cream."
"I dunno, you're pretty unforgettable." Tails winked. "Hammered the memory right into me."
"Hmph." She turned her nose up.
"Shouldn't be too long until we're back anyway. Gotta get Sonic here in time for the big day, right? Maybe we can hang out sometime after."
Oh. Yeah. Her birthday was looming. And she'd never managed to get Tails and Cream together, never got those double dates she was aiming for… And Sonic still couldn't bear to be alone with her for longer than half a minute. Everything was super promising, there.
"Well, I guess this is it." Tails extended a hand. "I'll m- I'll message you. Once I get to Spagonia."
Amy grabbed his wrist, pulling the fox forward into a crushing hug.
"Don't be a stranger, alright? And don't push yourself too hard. And don't forget to eat."
Tails stiffly returned the hug before pulling back. "Catch you later, Amy."
And he turned, jogging to the Vortex and hopping inside without another word. Amy raised a hand, waving in farewell until he turned the corner.
Well, that was that.
Amy turned and stepped inside, returning to familiarity with an oddly unsettled feeling in her stomach for reasons she couldn't quite put her finger on.
Had she wanted to come along? Drop everything to go chase heroes around the world and fight supervillains? Try and share in that mad life a little longer? Or just give up on normality for good?
Or… did she want him to ask her to? To show some sign of the reluctance she felt behind that unreadable smile of his?
Nonsense. She imposed on him for almost a month, he gave her a house. He could be laughing in relief right now all the way home and that would be fine. It was the same reason she'd never asked him for help planning her date. He had his own life to lead, doing the things she wished she had the strength to do, and a girl of his own to impress. He didn't want a part time patisserie chef to hold his hand, however much she might want to.
Amy slipped her key into her apartment lock with a sigh, ignoring the momentary irrational dread that loomed within. This was actually her first time back since she'd grabbed some clothes for her stay. Coming in to see that gaping hole in her floor and shattered furniture…
But her home was spotless. Was that a real mobian table? Fancy. She'd half expected him to either provide an exact copy of her existing furniture or to completely overhaul everything with brand new mobian scale furnishings like she'd been getting used to at his lab. Compared to a house, either would have been the mad cherry on top of the insanity sundae, but it seemed like Tails had been very conservative with his choices. Good quality wood table that matched the chairs she'd managed to pick up, her giant couch firmly intact… And the fridge was another good but not unreasonable brand. It was-
Wait, there were library ladders built into the cabinets now? Amy peered at the railings with a bemused smile. That was more what she was expecting. No more climbing on the counters for her. She'd have to bake him something to thank him.
Amy frowned.
When he was back in the country.
She sort of didn't know what to do with herself. There was no lengthy voyage to let her shift gears. She didn't really have anything to unpack beyond a few sets of clothing in her hammerspace. She didn't have a shift today, and the apartment was spotless. Introduce herself to her neighbours as the new landlady? Look up what a landlady was actually supposed to do first? Well, her landlord didn't seem to do much before.
… Maybe she'd just talk to Cream? She sort of wanted to gush over her new furniture - ladders especially - but… Was that awkward? She wasn't sure how she'd feel if someone started talking to her about Sonic doing something nice for them. Happy for them, she supposed, but… jealous? She couldn't really see Sonic doing anything for Cream she might be jealous of though. And Cream seemed fine with her living in Tails' lab at least. But…
Amy climbed down the ladder with a sigh, sliding it back to the corner where it neatly slipped out of the way. She sighed again. Showing people the good in things was one of the things she did best, how could she not do it when Tails had so much to show? Maybe she'd casually wheel them out when Cream came to visit, not make a big deal about it. And maybe with a little help from the ladders Cream would be able to use the stove a bit more easily...
Didn't really help her now, of course. Amy wandered out of the kitchen, her mood gloomy. Maybe it was because she'd just come back from an adventure? It usually took her a few days to wind down again after some world-saving campaign, though wandering around the Mystic Jungle fighting a few badniks was hardly more than her usual workout routine, even if facing off against Metal Sonic alone had been a nerve wracking experience at the time.
Whatever. Maybe she'd just find her tarot deck. A reading would tell her what she should do with herself. Or… at least be something to do? She wandered into her room, idly pondering where she'd left her cards when she paused at the doorway, staring at her bed. There, in the lap of the giant Tails plush, was an envelope, which lasted almost half a second before Amy was staring at its contents, a scrawled mess of familiar handwriting pencilled on the paper within.
Dear Amy,
Sort of chickened out of doing this face to face and putting my foot in my mouth somehow. Sorry in advance for the handwriting!
Amy snorted. The writing wasn't even that bad, though there were more than a few places where he'd apparently given up and crossed out what he'd written thoroughly enough to remove any trace of what used to be there. Shouldn't he have just got a new sheet of paper at that point and started over? It wasn't even a long note. Silly fox.
Please find attached the reservation for your birthday date with Sonic. It's a proper reservation this time, not just to some dumb thing I'm doing. I took the liberty of trying to pick out somewhere nice for you as an early birthday present. Just tell Sonic it was a competition win (and free) if he bothers to ask. He probably won't.
I'm sure you'll do great. - He'd crossed out an entire sentence here. - Just be yourself and you can't go wrong.
I'm rooting for you!
~ Tails.
P.S: It just occurred to me you might already have plans for your date. If so, please just pass the reservation card onto Rouge next time you see her and let me know so I can get you another gift. You know she's always on the lookout for good alibis.
"Dork." Amy sighed. Sweet as Tails was to say it, Sonic didn't like her being herself. He showed more interest in Cream than he did her. Unless… was he playing it cool like Tails did? If so, he was a real expert at it.
Shaking her head, Amy glanced at the gilded card that fell out of the letter. A dinner reservation at Hotel de Blanc? She rubbed the back of her neck with an exasperated sigh. That place had a waiting list longer than she'd been alive. The fox had absolutely no sense of scale or restraint. No wonder he'd done this in a letter, she'd have insisted he take it back. She should give it back to him right now, and spend the next fortnight helping Cream find a dress fancy enough to attend. If a date at that place didn't get the two of them together, nothing would.
But… Could the same be said about her and Sonic? Her thirteenth birthday, with the most upmarket dining experience in a thousand miles, an excuse to wear her finest outfit, the best food, and the most romantic, offshore, experience that would hopefully prevent Sonic from simply bolting. This was the opportunity of a lifetime, her best chance to finally break through Sonic's impenetrable outer shell to the warm, snuggly interior she knew in her heart of hearts that he possessed. Just like Tails' last mad gift, giving up on this chance would be crazy.
But… what if that didn't get the two of them together?
Amy bit her lip, staring at the card and the letter as she slid down to the floor.
