This was a stupid idea.

Amy sat at her table, at once feeling over and under dressed, surrounded by the luxurious people all around her wearing enough precious metal and sparkly rocks to build a small hill. There was even a Chaos Emerald adorning an exquisitely carved ice sculpture of some human queen, the turquoise stone elegantly embedded into her frozen crown with an array of lesser jewels. A sign of largesse that probably had more of an impact on the normal patrons than her.

She was the only mobian here.

And yes, as usual, here too Amy found herself the subject of keen observation from some heavily built humans wearing pale suits and polite smiles. No wonder Rouge would have wanted the reservation, this place would have found both building and guests rapidly and professionally cleared of their contents.

Amy sipped her juice. It was good juice. Not nice enough for her to forget how much it cost, but it helped calm her fraying nerves. Just a little.

It had been fifteen minutes.

Maybe she should have waited outside. She should have known Sonic would be fashionably late. Now she just looked like a loser. She'd already turned the waiter - who was almost better dressed than she was - away three times.

At least they'd had mobian furniture.

Or she was in the children's section.

Alone in the children's section. At a table set for two. Under and over dressed. Thirteen years old and couldn't even land a date on her own birthday. And everyone knew, and they were staring. Unless they were staring because she was the girl from the video. That was even better. At least then they could attach a name to her when she started crying. Maybe she'd get a viral sequel? "Mad hedgehog destroys hotel"?

Amy sipped her juice. It was almost empty. Twenty minutes. What time was she born again?

Probably in the morning. Hardly mattered. What was she expecting? Sonic to show up on the minute, nick of time to save her from social humiliation? That was his usual style. While heroing at least. His usual style while dealing with her normally was to forget she existed. Even if he promised. Tails wouldn't have let him forget, would he?

… Or had even Tails forgotten about her?

Twenty-three minutes. Amy tried to wash the lump in her throat down with the last of her juice.

This was a stupid idea. All of it. How could she have expected anything else? How could she imagine she belonged somewhere like this, surrounded by wealth and splendour? How could she imagine that even this would tempt Sonic to go on a date with her? So much for resolving the question once and for all if love could prevail, she couldn't even get that far. She was-

"Excuse me, miss, message for you?"

Amy stiffened, dabbing her cheeks hurriedly with a napkin before snapping a strained smile towards the speaker.

"... Tails?" She blinked in surprise. "What are you-"

"Sorry I'm so late." He held out his hands. The Miles Electric appeared in his grasp, screen facing her. Sonic's face was plastered on it.

Tails pressed play without a word.

"Come on, do I really have to-"

"Do it." Tails' voice cut in.

"Fine. Happy Birthday, Amy!" He looked away, scratching his cheek. "Sorry I can't be there right now. Eggman just attacked Central City and kidnapped the president-"

"It's true, he did." Tails voice spoke up again.

"And they need a pair of dudes bad enough to save him, so I guess I'm heading there with Shadow now before he gets the launch codes and ends the world."

"I have no idea why they asked for you to come."

Sonic ignored Shadow, scratching his cheek again. "I will… agree to one replacement date in no more than two weeks. At the venue of your choosing." He sighed. "How was-"

Tails shut off the screen mid-sentence, slipping the device away.

"I'm sorry, Amy." He rubbed the back of his head, his blue eyes unreadable as ever as he looked away.

"Heh." Amy sighed. "At least it wasn't a portal this time, right? I guess you're leaving to go help them now?"

"Huh?" Tails turned back to her, blinking. "I… uh… was going to stay. If you wanted me to?"

"What?" Amy raised an eyebrow. "Don't you need to go help save the world?"

"I think Sonic and Shadow can handle it." Tails shrugged. "Besides, what good is the world if you're crying and alone on your birthday?"

Amy laughed, wiping the napkin across her cheek once more.

"It's my birthday. I'll cry if I want to."

"Alright, I guess. But misery loves company, so guess I'll stay anyway?"

"What about Cream?"

"Oh!" Tails looked downcast. "Sorry. I… guess I should have brought her. I should have realised you'd rather hang out with her instead. I'll go-"

"Ohshima you're dense, sometimes." Amy groaned, facepalming. "Just sit down already."

"Uh, okay. Happy birthday, by the way. You look amazing. Your dress really… compliments your eyes?"

"Ooo, you can learn." Amy smirked. "Thanks. You're looking handsome yourself. I didn't know you owned two suits."

"I didn't." Tails frowned, running a gloved hand down his trousers with an uncomfortable frown. "That's why I was so late. They're pretty strict on their dress code here."

"Hah. I'm surprised you didn't just buy the place or something to get out of wearing a bow tie."

"Bit out of my price range or I might have. Took me forever to tie this thing."

"You do look a little run down. I was worried you weren't sleeping again."

Tails looked uncomfortable. Amy groaned.

"Seriously?"

Their conversation broke off as the long suffering waiter checked in on their table, passing out menus and sliding a pair of fresh drinks onto the table. The moment he left, Amy cast her glare back to Tails.

"I've been doing okay!" The fox held up his hands. "Just dealing with a problem the last few days is all."

"Mhm. And what problem was so important?"

"Eggman broke into my lab."

"What?!" Amy covered her mouth, shrinking slightly under the weight of neighbouring diners' dirty looks. "Are you okay? When did this happen?"

"I'm fine. Stole the emeralds from my coffee maker though. And there was a lot of clean up with all the blown up badniks."

"Aw, he did? Bet you wish I was around to work the kettle now, huh?" She winked.

"I did already. The lab's been feeling pretty quiet without you."

Amy turned her attention to her drink while Tails busied himself looking out of the window, the silence growing awkward.

"So… How'd he manage in the end?"

"Hm?" Tails glanced back to her.

"Eggman. How'd he get into your lab? I've seen what you keep in there."

"Oh. Remember those ghosts Cream and I ran into in Mystic Jungle? I think they were powered up by that weird nether energy the machine was drilling up." He shrugged. "Lab defences weren't set up to handle them, they just walked right through."

"Well at least you weren't hurt." Amy shrugged. "Try and get some sleep soon though, alright? Tonight, soon, not passing out in your soup, soon."

"What do you take me for? I was thinking of getting the 'saucisses et purée de pommes de terre au jus de viande'." Tails poked a finger at the menu. "That sounds way comfier than soup."

Amy giggled, resting her hand on her cheek as she gazed at the weary little fox.

"Thanks."

"For what?" Tails quirked an ear.

"For coming here. For being you." Amy sighed, sipping her juice. "If Sonic had actually showed up I'd probably have been too nervous to enjoy myself anyway. I'd just be waiting to see how I messed up and scared him away."

"I…" Tails looked out of the window again. "Don't think that's your fault."

"Of course it is." Amy's response sounded more bitter than she'd intended. "Even if I didn't do something stupid, I'm the one who's not good enough to make him… want to spend time with me."

"You're just like him, though?" Tails shrugged.

"Oh?"

"Sure. You're both brave, and determined. You both really care about doing the right thing and following your heart. You both push yourselves to be the very best you can be, and neither of you think things through at all."

"Hey!"

Tails' momentary smile soon faded. "It doesn't matter how great you are if the other person isn't looking."

"Well aren't you super wise all of a sudden." Amy winked, slightly red faced from the barrage of compliments.

"I'm the brainy one, it's my job." Tails smiled over his drink.

"Huh? I only keep you around for your looks though?"

He choked. Amy burst out laughing.

"There's the real you." She grinned.

"Drowning?" Tails pouted at her, rubbing his chin with the back of a gloved hand.

"Sure, I'll take it." Amy extended a finger at him. "Normally I have no idea what you're thinking about. You're just this cute robot out to help everybody but yourself."

"I'm not a robot." Tails huffed. "Wait, or cute!"

"It's only times like now when you're off balance that the shields come down a little and I get to see a little bit of what goes on in that big old brain of yours."

"Well that basically explains the entire extent of our interactions." Tails frowned, looking out the window again. "And Cream's."

Amy giggled. "Yep. Us girls just want you to share what's going on in there like you do with Sonic."

Tails' expression turned dark. "I don't-" He trailed off, still staring out of the window with a frown. "Hey, is it me or did it get really dark out all of a sudden?"

The wall exploded before Amy could reply, admitting the first of many lumbering badniks.