Amy Rose believed mostly in two things.

First, and most strongly of all, Amy Rose believed in love.

She had to. She believed with all her heart that her love would eventually reach Sonic, that he would love her back, ask her on a date, kiss her, and...

Well, she hadn't really thought that far ahead. Marriage? Settling down? Give up being the wind to become her rock?

She had to, right? Love could do anything, it could certainly make Sonic love her more than he loved freedom. At least a little.

At least sometimes.

Well, he stayed with Tails the most. Could he at least stay with her the most instead? Maybe a little more often? Love had to be able to handle something that small. She could be generous. Six days with her a week? Five?

… Two?

Should… should she just move in with Tails?

He probably wouldn't say no if she asked. Probably wouldn't even complain if she just did it. He was so rarely bothered by her it was almost insulting at times. Sometimes a girl wanted people to be bothered, if only a little.

It would certainly help her see Sonic. Even if he definitely needed to be less bothered by her and seeing him regularly might let her be a little less bothered by him.

But she would never do that, because Amy Rose also believed in appearances.

Not just looking cute, though she certainly devoted a good amount of time to just that with a tireless regime of exercise and fashion rto try and ensure that she was as deserving of Sonic's attention as he was hers. But also to the inner appearance of things. The appearance that she tried to show people in herself and others.

Amy spent a good deal of time cultivating this inner appearance as well. She had been someone too immature for Sonic, too much of a tomboy, too weak, so she'd changed. She'd dropped everything, appearance and behaviour, anything that Sonic hadn't been interested in, and she'd pushed herself hard enough in training to reach the absolute pinnacle of excellence that she could hope to achieve as a baseline mobian, strong enough and fast enough to, if only barely, compete at the same level as her hero.

Then she'd trained twice as hard to make her twelve year old self into someone mature and ladylike, to make the real her something Sonic would love. She'd even developed a love for baking, because what handsome hero could resist a cake from his princess?

And just like she believed in love, Amy truly believed that if she changed the real her in just the right way, Sonic would finally love her ba- would finally get over his shyness and stop running away.

At least she hoped that's what it was. Sonic on the inside appeared in almost every way to be exactly what he seemed to be at first glance. Brave and heroic, strong and free. He saved her, like he saved everyone… And he never told her to leave. That meant that he cared, right? That he could be persuaded if she could show him that she could be someone worthy of him? Sonic didn't date just any girl after all, and he was certainly famous enough that he could if wanted, even a few humans, but he didn't. Her only victory in love was that he'd only dated her, so she must be pretty special.

Moving in with Tails didn't show that was special. It showed an Amy Rose that was desperate.

And while Amy Rose was desperate, more and more so with every failed advance, every snub, every one-sided hug, and every time the repulsion he felt for her was treated as a joke, the real self that she showed the world wasn't allowed to be desperate. Better to be angry at Sonic than desperate. Better to yell than cry. Better to smile than do either. Better to crush down her feelings and be near him than drive him away.

Even though that was like holding her breath. Even though every now and then she had to feel or drown.

A blue and yellow biplane soared by overhead. She stood at her door, suitcase gripped in her hands as she watched it descend.

She'd been drowning for months.

She'd been so good.

And now she had to be desperate. She was almost thirteen, after all. Five years with too much fighting, too much war, too much trying to survive and make a life… And not enough love.

Did Tails hate her? Think she was a joke? Did he think she was just another sad needy girl to be saved and forgotten like Sonic had done so many times before? That she wasn't good enough for him? That she needed to let go?

No, Tails, like her, tried to see the good in people. He'd never teased her about it, never laughed…

Unless he was just scared to do it where she could hear?

"Hey!" Tails ran up with empty eyes and a bright smile. "Ready to go?"

Amy peered at him dubiously.

"You sure you're good to fly? You look exhausted." Amy pulled a handkerchief from her hammerspace, wiping his blackened ear with a frown. "And greasy."

"Sorry, tuning up the Tornado all night." Tails rubbed the back of his head with a blackened glove. "I don't think being greasy makes me fly any worse though."

"Mhm. Like you've never crashed before."

"I am not a bad pilot." Tails pouted and turned away, arms folded.

Amy sighed. She'd hit that landmine again. She leaned forward, resting her chin on the back of his head as she wrapped her arms over his shoulders, keeping him from walking away.

"You're a great pilot, Tails."

"And I'm only here because you asked me!"

"I know."

"It's only nine times!"

"Yes, yes, you only cra-" Amy paused. "Wait, nine?"

"Well, yeah, I was doing a flight test a few days ago and…"

Amy straightened, hands on her hips.

"Tails, did you put another of your "special engines" in your plane?"

"Not... this plane."

"You know, I'm pretty sure other plane manufacturers have come up with ways to test new stuff without crashing it now?"

"It's fine."

"It's not fine. One of these times you're going to crash into the bottom of a lake or get crushed to death!"

Tails shrugged.

"Ugh, you're just impossible. I'm going to tell Sonic on you, maybe you'll listen to him."

"I just won't take you to see him!"

"Yes you will!" Amy raised her case with a scowl.

"... Fine, yes, yes I will. But you better not tell Sonic!"

"Just stop trying to get yourself killed already." Amy rolled her eyes. "And you're not going to make a delicate flower like myself carry her own luggage, are you?"

Tails stared at her half-lidded for a moment, but took the heavy case regardless.

"Amy, this is heavier than me. What are you bringing?"

"Just some spare clothes and things. Just in case."

"It's one afternoon."

"You just don't understand girls."

"Whatever." Tails rolled his eyes and started walking.

Amy shook her head, pulling her door shut. She couldn't help wonder which part of Tails was the real one as she trotted to catch up to him.

The kind and gentle coward who only cared about his machines?

The fearless warrior that had fought alongside Sonic like a mobian possessed?

He certainly seemed to be a coward, but a coward that still stood on the front lines ready to fly anyone anywhere? That flew dangerous combat missions without hesitation and test flew his own, often atrociously unreliable, designs in an endless attempt to make a biplane that could match Sonic's mach 5 speed?

He used to be cool. Now he was…

Holding back?

Tails crouched and launched into the air, tails spinning as he flew up with the precision of a hummingbird to drop her bag into a compartment in the back of the plane before dropping down into the pilot seat. Amy leapt after him, catching the side of the plane to swing herself into the seat behind him.

"Ooo, comfy." She bounced.

"You'd better hope so. It's three hours to South Island."

"Ughhh. I'm going to kick your seat the whole way."

"You know there's only a seatbelt in the front seat, right?"

"What?" Amy looked around in horror.

"Just kidding." Tails grinned back at her as the engine rumbled into life below them. "There's no seatbelts in the front either."

"Seriously?" Amy rolled her eyes. It made sense at least. A mobian could handle a high speed impact fine, so long as they didn't hit the water, but getting trapped and crushed in wreckage would be deadly. "If you fall asleep and drown us both I'm going to be super mad."

"It's called autopilot, Amy." Tails gripped the yoke in both hands as the plane accelerated, then ascended, at a rate that belied its small size and archaic design. "I was actually planning on taking a nap until we got there."

"Great. Do I even get an inflight movie?"

"I think there might be a bag of peanuts Knuckles left last month if you check under the cushions."

"Gross, Tails. So is this why Sonic likes to stand up on the wing? Boredom?"

"Why? Did you want to try?"

Amy peered down at the fast approaching coastline far below.

"... Maybe later."

Tails gave her a thumbs up as he sunk down in his chair, quiet snoring emanated from it scant moments later.

Amy groaned, staring out at the endless ocean ahead as cold wind blew over the top of the cockpit, nipping at her cheeks.

The things she did for love.