She hated this.
Amy swung her club. The brightly coloured blue ball sailed neatly between the robot army, up the slope, and bounced off the shiny red nose of the Eggman model before spiralling down into the hole.
Tails clapped politely before taking his own position, his own orange ball placed neatly on the floor as he lined up, taking his time.
He was going easy on her. She was no slouch when it came to handling blunt objects, but his brain was like a computer. He calculated vectors and trajectories faster and more easily than Amy could remember what they were.
She hated that too. He swung, bouncing off what seemed to be every single robot before the ball settled neatly at the base of the slope. He gave a rueful smile as he tiptoed among the robots for his next swing.
He'd planned everything. Amy glanced away, rubbing her arms. She'd forgot to grab a coat thanks to his stupid, slightly cool, war mech putting a pothole in her street. He'd spent all this time thinking up a place she'd enjoy, he'd even thought about what she liked when he got food. And he'd even gone out of his way to find a bakery ahead of time. And he barely even looked at the cute cat that had been flirting with him at the counter.
And she'd laughed at him.
The way he was always so calm, always smiling, never running from her, never getting mad. She was supposed to be the mature one! The worldly one! Why wasn't he flustered and saying the wrong thing and forgetting important stuff and being a jerk? Why wasn't he hurting her feelings and sticking his foot in his mouth?
She hated it so much.
Why did she have to be having so much fun? It made her want to take the golf club and just start breaking things and-
Arms wrapped around her shoulders. Amy stiffened in surprise.
"Sorry!" Tails backed away, his fluffy torso now bare.
Of course he noticed she was cold. Amy sighed, pulling at the coat now draped over her shoulders.
"What's this?" She peered at him, eyebrow raised with a smirk. "Don't like my outfit? Trying to cover me up?"
"No, I think you're pretty. I mean you look- I mean your dress…" Tails looked away, rubbing the back of his head. "I just thought you looked cold."
Amy looked away herself, already feeling a little warmer just from the exchange. Why was he so nice? Why couldn't she stop picking on him?
Why wasn't Sonic like this?
"Thanks, Tails." She smiled despite herself.
"Just don't want to beat you because you have a handicap."
"I think you should catch up to my score before talking about that."
"You know a lower score is better in golf, right?" Miles swung again, off the Eggman and into the hole.
"Shut up." Amy looked away with a harumph as she walked to the last hole.
What was she even doing to herself? She should be enjoying herself. It was fine to be enjoying herself. Just…
Amy glanced down at the coat, slipping an arm into the sleeves.
… No wonder it didn't fit him right.
"Did you seriously wear a coat in my size this whole time?"
"Well it wouldn't fit you otherwise." Tails shrugged again, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"You are out of your mind." Amy shook her head. Just as predicted, Tails had fixed the problem with her clothes.
The world's number one sidekick.
She swung, her blue ball scraped the blunted thorns of a cactus and went off course, falling into a cave that had her ball ultimately roll back to the start. Amy grumbled as she stomped to the side, letting Tails swing as she fastened the coat.
Would Sonic have brought her here?
… Maybe if it was free. And convenient. He'd have bought her a chilli dog. They definitely wouldn't have messed around like kids, playing with their food.
Would he have remembered being here with her before?
Tails shot cleanly through the desert and into a cave. The ball emerged behind his foot.
"Not that one I guess." He grinned.
He certainly wouldn't be here playing golf. Too slow. Probably something competitive like the kart track or one of the ball toss games. Sonic was a winner.
Amy's blue ball bounced off a hidden spring, launching it onto the top of the mountain. It slowly rolled along the edge until it plopped down a few inches from the hole.
He wouldn't have noticed she was cold either. Definitely wouldn't have worn a coat just to give it to her.
Tails didn't aim for the spring pad, instead going for another cave. From the far side of the mountain Amy watched it slip out of the lone exit, smoothly rolling down towards the hole.
The orange ball cracked into her blue one, sending it tumbling down in its place.
"That, uh… That counts as my win. Right?" Tails stood close beside her, open mouthed consternation on his face.
"You wish." Amy rubbed his head with a smile. The smaller fox groaned as he hopped over to finish the job.
But Sonic was her boyfriend.
And here she was having fun without him.
Was it wrong to enjoy herself?
Was it wrong to be wishing she was with Sonic even now? That everything today was hers with the one she loved, rather than the fox she'd bullied into taking her?
Was it okay to be happy without... trying so hard?
"Looks like I shouldn't have given you my coat."
"Huh?" She looked to the frowning fox beside her.
"You won." He grinned, holding up the scorecard. "It was that last shot that did it."
"If you'd been smart about it you'd have put motors in the coat to mess up my swing or something." She winked.
"But then there'd have been no room for the armour plating?" Tails shook his head at her like she'd said the silliest thing in the world.
Amy rapped the coat with her fingers, feeling the soft surface turn rigid on impact.
Seriously? Did he think they were in the middle of a war? What was it about geniuses and being nuts?
Tails settled in close beside her as they returned the clubs to a disinterested mink teen who spent the whole time checking her fur in a pocket mirror.
Well, better the gentle madness of Miles Prower than the jagged insanity of Eggman, she supposed. Tails might have more giant robots and rayguns in his lab than she had baking tins, but at least he wasn't going around weaponising bumper cars.
"So where do you want to go next?" Tails craned his neck to look up at her.
There he went again. She couldn't even pretend that she was with Sonic when he was being so obnoxiously considerate.
"Hmmm… That one." She pointed to a ride at random. It was already starting to get dark. Stupid autumn.
"Um… Looks like it's closed off season." Tails tapped a notice taped to the bars.
"I remember there being more rides when we were younger."
"Maybe you should come back in summer? Should be a few more open then."
'You', not 'we'. Reminded her how he didn't even want to be here now. He probably wanted to go home already. She should just ask to leave. Stop the torture for them both.
"I-"
Tails gripped her hand.
"That one's open." He pointed at a sign in the distance, one of the few attractions that actually had a line for it. "Let's go!"
"Uh- sure!"
How did he even do that? Did he install a mind-reading device in the coat too? Amy frowned, glancing at him.
"Everything alright?" Tails obviously picked up on it straight away.
"Everything's fine!" She snapped, squinting at him suspiciously.
"Um… okay?" He tilted his ears at her with a confused frown of his own.
"Exactly." Amy turned back with a sniff as they reached the ride.
Or at least the queuing area. The two of them easily passed under the "you must be this short to ride" signboard, empty zig-zagging ropes separating them from the few dozen people waiting to board the lakebound Ferris wheel.
"Looks like we're going to be walking longer than waiting at this rate." Amy went to start doing just that, but Tails' hand tightened around her own.
"Seems pretty short… as the fox flies." Tails grinned.
"Oh no, Tails no!"
But it was too late. Amy yelped as the little fox's tails revved up like a helicopter and he launched into the air, dragging her trailing one handed underneath as he bypassed half a kilometre of carefully sectioned space in a few seconds, gently depositing her next to a surprised pair of bandicoots. Tails dropped down beside her, a smug look on his face.
"See? Problem solved and-"
"Tails." Amy stretched out her hand, hammer crackling into being between her fingers.
"Wha-?" He stood there, eyes wide as he stared up at her.
"I. Am. Wearing. A. Dress!" Her hammer came down on his head with a piko sound, bouncing him off the floor in a shower of golden rings that tumbled across the ground around them. "Did you see?" Amy turned to the bandicoots, who hurriedly shook their heads and turned away. She nodded with a harumph.
"Ah." Tails rubbed his head with a wince, grabbing one of the tumbling rings before it had a chance to fade. "Sorry, Amy. I'll carry you properly next time."
"Why you!" Amy hefted her hammer again, eliciting a flinch from the fox, and the other mobians in the queue, before reabsorbing it with a sigh.
What was she going to do? He probably had no idea why she was annoyed even now. Even she wasn't sure why she was so mad. He was constantly carrying her around when they were fighting, he did it for everybody. And it wasn't like she never wore a dress when that happened either. And why was he just letting her hit him? He could easily have dodged. Or blocked. Just thinking about it made her want to hit him again.
Sonic never let her hit him.
And Sonic wasn't here to see her looking undignified in the first place.
Great, now she felt stupid.
The Ferris came to a stop, streams of water trickling from the base of each cab as they emerged from the great lake below. Attendants in bubble shields escorted the passengers off the pier and back to shore before allowing the next passengers to board.
As a species where even mundane individuals such as herself could achieve speeds in excess of a hundred miles an hour, and survive falls from the top of skyscrapers without injury, Mobians generally didn't have much interest in things like roller coasters or the momentum based rides that humans enjoyed. But rides like this, with the thrill of danger from being near water, or in this case under water were constant favourites.
Did Tails feel that same tingle of anticipation looking at the water extending meters below? She glanced over at him. He was looking down at the floor. Probably still wondering why she hit him. Amy sighed, looking back to the water. Wasn't his fault. She was just crazy. That's why Sonic wanted nothing to do with her and she was here making someone three years younger pretend to like her.
"We're up next." Tails mumbled up at her, his hand hovering near her wrist as they approached the pier.
"Hey, you-" The attendant, an older hedgehog, smiled down at them through her bubble shield. "Tails the Fox? Wow, big fan."
"Uh, thanks." Tails rubbed the back on his head.
"Is Sonic not here with you?" The attendant caught Amy's look. "Oh… I guess not. Enjoy the ride, you two!"
"Sorry," Tails murmured, ears flat and eyes on his feet as he settled in the cushioned seat across from her. The plastic shell of the compartment sealed shut after them as they began to rise in the air at a sedate pace, taking the long way round to the artificial lake below.
Amy snorted. "Why, because you're popular?"
"It's not me they want to see anyway."
"Then it's not your fault, is it?"
"And... I picked you up without asking…"
Amy groaned, reaching her hand out. Tails flinching made her flinch, but she followed through, placing her hand on his fluffy shoulder.
"Look, I'm already over it. Pretty sure that that bandicoot in front of us knows what brand of underwear I'm wearing now, but…" She shrugged. Considering Tails had probably never even worn pants in his life, it seemed silly now she'd calmed down. "Not a big deal, y'know?"
Except that she hit him.
Amy looked out of the window across the water, the outward facing lights of the Ferris reflecting off the surface like glittering beacons in the growing gloom.
"Did… did you have any fun today?"
Tails' reflection seemed surprised. "Me?"
"Don't be a dummy. Obviously you."
"Wasn't today to make up for ruining your concert?"
"So you hated it?"
There was silence as the bubble slipped under the water, the interior falling dark as it sank. Brightly coloured fish swam past the exterior lights, scales glittering as they passed back into the depths. Amy wiped a glove over her cheek as she stared out at them.
"I think I've had fun." Tails said softly at last.
"Liar."
Tails was nice. He was her boyfriend's cute little buddy, always so pleasant. Always trying to see the best in people, always ready to help out. Always helping her. And she paid him back by picking on him, even though he never asked for anything for himself.
Was he trying to see the best in her? Was that why he was lying? Was he afraid of hurting her feelings? Afraid she'd hit him if he said no?
"I did though. I really liked hanging out today."
Liar, liar, liar.
If he'd had fun then she'd be fun to be with. If she was fun to be with...
Why didn't Sonic want to spend time with her?
When she'd tried everything and she'd given him space and she'd tried coming on strong and asking him and waiting for him to ask her and it had been five years and she was still waiting for her first kiss and she could barely even breathe around him sometimes because he'd run away and-
A warm presence drew up next to her in the dark, a tail brushing past her legs.
"You see that one?" A gloved finger pressed against the surface of the bubble. "Looks like the ones from Little Planet, right?"
"Huh?" Amy wiped her eyes, blinking rapidly. "The… triangle one?"
"Yeah, with the stripes?"
"Oh… you're right. Dunno the name though." The fish slipped away as the bottom of the lake came into view, vanishing among the plants and glittering stones.
"I liked seeing you… uh. Nevermind."
Amy glanced at the fox shrouded in shadow beside her as he awkwardly aborted midsentence.
"I guess… I know you think I'm a dork." Tails rubbed the back of his head. "But I want to say thanks for getting me out of my shell all the time, Amy. It means a lot to me."
"Pfffft. You are a dork though. What's with all this? You hoping to bump up your grade with some last minute schmoozing?" She elbowed him in the ribs with a grin.
"Well…" Tails rubbed his chest without complaint. "What about you?"
"You think I'm a dork?" Amy smirked.
"Did you have fun today?"
The bubble broke through the shimmering surface of the lake once more, beginning its second slow arc up to the twilight sky.
"... Yeah." Amy sighed, breath misting the interior. "I had a lot of fun. Thanks for bringing me."
Even though she forced him to.
"So I get a passing grade?"
"Mmm…" Amy tapped her lip. "C+."
"Whaaat?" Tails' head fell against the window with a thud.
Amy giggled, brushing her fingers through her spines as she stared down at him.
"Tell you what, take me to that big arcade before we leave and maybe I'll bump you up to a "B", deal?"