Earlier that day, with Tails and Cosmo...
The two were in the police car that Cosmo was somewhat forced to drive. Had Tails taken the wheel, it could have raised suspicions, especially considering that he wasn't working for Green Hill any more.
"So, you've been there before, right?" Tails asked, his voice still somewhat hesitant.
"Hey, you didn't stutter that time," Cosmo smiled. "And to answer your question, yep. As I said, I often become the third wheel whenever Ash and Mina go up to Jade Mountain."
"So, your familiar with the ribs there?" Tails followed on with his previous question.
"Also yes," Cosmo said. "I don't have them as much as I'd like. I feel like they're something that needs to take time before you have them, you know?"
"Yeah..." the yellow fox nodded. "Having too much of a good thing could be bad for you."
"True," Cosmo said. "In fact, I don't even come here all the time when they go on dates. I usually just get stuff from our vending machines."
"Don't they only have a bunch of junk food as a rule?" Tails asked.
"Mostly, but there are some with sandwiches," Cosmo replied. "For the most part, I try to eat pretty healthily. But the ribs? I just can't resist those."
"It's the sauce, I think," Tails chuckled.
"And now even your laugh isn't nervous," the green girl smiled. "Are you getting used to me?"
Tails immediately blushed as Cosmo looked over at him. "I... uh..."
He was broken from his stuttering by a hand on his own. He looked to see that Cosmo's right hand was holding his left, as her own left hand was on the steering wheel whilst she kept her eyes on the road.
"It's all right to be nervous," Cosmo said softly, keeping her focus on the road, but using her peripheral vision also. "I'm also nervous..."
"Really?" Tails asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow. "Because you're doing a very unconvincing job of showing it."
The plant girl giggled. "I know. And neither of us should be nervous; I mean, it's just a lunch date, right? And, after today, who knows when I'll see you next?"
"Well, we are allowed to drop by, right?" Tails asked.
"Of course you are," Cosmo replied as they approached the parking lot of Jade Mountain.
"So, maybe I could see you on Tuesday?" Tails wondered.
"By Tuesday, you'll probably be taking your first full missions," Cosmo shrugged as she searched for a parking space. "Plus, you have your training to go through now that you're enhanced, and who knows how long that'll take?"
"I'm sure that we'll be allowed breaks between sessions," Tails shrugged.
Cosmo found a parking space and pulled the car in. "It is possible. But it wasn't that easy for Espio or Vector."
"Vector's was by accident, right?" asked Tails.
"It was, but he had to go through some really tough training before figuring it out," Cosmo said. "The people helping him were close to giving up, and... well, I'm sure that he told you the rest."
"Yep," Tails nodded. "So, ready to grab some lunch?"
"Only if you hold my hand," Cosmo winked.
"That'd make it really awkward getting out of the car..." Tails replied, instantly realising how dumb that sentence was.
Cosmo stifled a chuckle at his adorable awkwardness before exiting the car, the fox soon following behind. She locked the car when she was done, and met with Tails around the back of the car, offering her hand.
Tails took it, smiling. But that smile was quickly muffled when Cosmo suddenly pulled him close, kissing him on the lips. It wasn't a long or passionate kiss, but it was long enough, and Tails blushed.
"I... um..."
"Weren't expecting that until later?" Cosmo asked.
"I wasn't expecting it at all, really..." Tails replied. "I mean, I do have mints, but even then that's only as a precaution."
"Why weren't you expecting it?"
"Don't get the wrong idea," Tails said hurriedly. "I like you. I like you a lot. But that's also the issue. I don't want to force you into anything that you don't want."
"Well, if anything..." Cosmo blushed, "I was the one that forced that kiss..." She then backed away a little bit. "Did... did I do something wrong?"
"I honestly didn't mind it," Tails smiled. "But it just took me by surprise."
"I can tell," Cosmo said, looking around at the fox's tails and noticing them spinning quickly. "What's with those things?"
"Oh," Tails said, turning to see the offending appendages. "They often start spinning like that when I get excited." He blushed. "Do they bother you?"
Cosmo shook her head. "Of course not. It's so adorable, honestly. Like you."
Tails' blushing only increased, and his tails began spinning faster to the point where he felt his body weight shift. He looked down to see his feet raising off the ground slightly, just to the point where his toes, and the tips of his shoes, were still on the ground.
Before he could bring himself down, Cosmo walked over and lightly grabbed his arm, helping him do so. "What was that about?" she asked.
"I... have no clue..." Tails said. "Felt cool, though."
Cosmo smiled. "Well, know that you're grounded, let's go and grab our food."
Tails nodded, and offered his hand for her to take. She did so with a cheery smile, and the two walked up to the restaurant, Tails having broken from the hand holding to open the door for her, which she giggled at.
"You truly are a gentleman," she said as he followed behind.
"Got anything in mind for food?" he asked.
"Just a couple of ribs and a small order of fries," said Cosmo. "I don't know how much time I have before my lunch break is over."
"Good thinking," Tails replied. "Go find a seat, and I'll be right with you."
Cosmo nodded, kissing his cheek before turning to walk away. Tails blushed briefly before turning back to the counter, seeing Mr. Wong smile at him. "Hello there, Tails!" he said cheerfully.
"Hey," Tails replied. "How are you today?"
"I'm fine, young man," Wong smiled. "Yourself?"
"Not too bad," Tails shrugged.
"I can see that you have a date with you," Wong smiled. "So, what can I get for you?"
"You have an easy job today," Tails said. "Just a couple of ribs each and small fries for us both."
"That does make my job easier," Wong replied. He turned to the kitchen to call out the order in question before turning back to Tails. "Say, doesn't that girl usually come with a couple of mongooses?"
"Usually," the fox nodded. "But I'm accompanying her today."
"That's a big word for dating," Wong said quietly. "But she's a nice girl."
"You've talked to her before?"
"Rarely, but yes," the owner nodded. "She's not here long because of her lunch hours often being short."
"Yeah, that kinda sucks," Tails shrugged. "But what can you do? She's busy behind that desk, man."
"She is indeed. She tells me about her work whenever we talk," Wong said. He then turned to one of his workers handing him the containers with the order in question, and thanked them before turning to Tails. "Well, here's your food. Please enjoy."
"Don't I always?" Tails winked, reaching into his wallet to pay. "Thank you very much."
He then picked up the containers, turning and looking around for Cosmo. He found her sat at the booth at the back of the shop, and he shook his head slightly as he walked over to the table, setting the food down.
"For someone worried about missing work," Tails said, "you'd think you'd be sat closer to the front door."
"It's nice back here," Cosmo said. "It's peaceful."
"I've never sat back here before," Tails admitted. "Usually, me and my friends sit near the middle. We still get a cool view of the outside, though."
The green girl nodded and smiled. "So... you never brought a date here before?"
"I've never taken any dates anywhere," Tails said, his head looking down at his shoes. "Like, ever..."
"Well, you certainly know how to flatter a lady," Cosmo lightly teased as they both opened their containers.
The yellow fox chuckled. "Not bad for a first timer, huh?"
"Not bad at all," Cosmo replied. "Say, that kiss..."
"What about it?" Tails wondered. "Besides it being rather lovely."
Cosmo blushed. "Was that your first kiss?"
Tails shook his head. "Nope. But it was probably my favourite."
"When was your first?" Cosmo asked.
"At my first high school prom," Tails said. "It was so awkward. I was fifteen, and had this really tacky looking white suit. I looked like a magician or something."
"How bad was it?" the green girl asked.
"Oh, we're talking the whole shebang," Tails said. "It had gloves, a cane, a top hat, and long, flowing coattails. My own tails apparently weren't good enough."
"Did you perform any tricks?" asked Cosmo, teasing slightly.
"I did make one dude laugh so hard that he pissed himself a little bit," Tails chuckled, remembering.
"How'd the rest of the date go?"
"Pretty well," Tails said. "She thought that I was brave for wearing it, and told me not to care much of what they thought. Which helped a little bit, because there was a lot of laughing there."
"You were only fifteen," said Sally.
"Yeah, but so was everyone else there," Tails defended. "That didn't stop them from anything. They bullied me a lot, and not just because of the suit."
"Oh," Cosmo simply said, knowing the reason why.
"And not just because of the tails, either," the yellow fox added on.
"Oh?" Cosmo said, curious.
"I was always the short kid, you know?" Tails shrugged, eating more of his food. "I was seen as weak and pathetic. I was always picked last, and I never understood why. Most of those ass-holes that I went to school with probably wouldn't have careers if I didn't do their tests for them."
"Did you ever get your own back on any of them?" Cosmo asked.
"My parents raised me to not fight back with my fists, but with my brain," Tails said. "I did actually manage to get some of them back."
"What happened?" Cosmo asked, now curious.
"I got a bunch of jocks to meet at our school's library, and told them of a secret book that had a dirty magazine hidden inside," Tails said. "So, they looked for it, and they found it soon enough."
"Then what happened?" asked the plant girl.
"One of them used their library card to take it out with them, using the basis that it was a normal book. Only trouble is, once they opened it when they left the library, all the pages fell out. Hidden in those pages was a small tape with a prerecorded voice message from me." Tails then started laughing. "As they were distracted listening to it, I threw them what they thought was the actual magazine."
"Was it?" Cosmo asked.
"Nope. It was just the front cover. I hid another message inside, this one of a pair of men grunting," Tails laughed. "I got the audio from my dad and a friend of his doing mechanical work on a vehicle."
Cosmo burst out laughing. "Are you serious?"
Tails snorted. "Yeah! Soon after, the librarian caught them out, and they got suspended for a week!" He then smiled more as he started to calm down. "That was a good day."
"So, what'd you stuff the dirty magazine with?" asked Cosmo.
"Just a textbook of mine," Tails shrugged. "I got it back soon after."
"So, where'd you get the magazine cover?" asked Cosmo.
"I found it in some other jock's locker. I remember his combination from when he needed some homework done and he was out with his buddies. I just stole the cover from there."
"Did he get in trouble too?"
"Yep," Tails nodded. "Not as much as everyone else, but he did get a warning."
Cosmo shook her head. "I don't get it."
"Get what?"
She smiled. "You're worried about whether or not you should kiss me, and you played a revenge prank involving a dirty magazine."
"It was the best that I could think of at the time," shrugged Tails.
"Did you get into trouble for it?"
The fox shook his head. "Not with the school, or my parents. In fact, they laughed and we celebrated with some ice-cream that night."
"The school or your parents?" asked Cosmo, giggling.
"My parents," Tails said. "Although the next day, the lunch lady did give me free dessert. It wasn't ice-cream, though. It was a nice apple crumble."
"With custard?" the plant girl asked.
"Is there any other way to eat a crumble?"
Cosmo laughed, and as Tails joined, he took in her laughter. It was warm and happy, and Tails enjoyed listening to it. It was much different from her cute giggling, which seemed somewhat flirty. Her laugh was a symphonic masterpiece to him, and he liked the sound of it.
Cosmo noticed the fox deep in thought. "What's wrong?"
"I was just thinking about your laugh," Tails said, blushing a bit. "I like it."
It was Cosmo's turn to blush. "Really?"
"Really," Tails nodded.
She smiled. "Thank you..." She waved her hands in front of her face. "See? Now I'm the one getting nervous."
Tails smiled. "Sorry about that. We'd better eat up, though. You need to get back to work soon."
Cosmo nodded, and the two remained silent as they went through the rest of their food. They did it at an even pace, but having to go a bit faster due to Cosmo needing to be back at work.
Soon, the two had finished, stopping to thank the owner on their way out before heading straight for the car. The two got in as Cosmo unlocked it, and she pulled out of the parking lot and headed straight for the station.
Along the way, Tails managed to surreptitiously pull a mint from his pocket and place it into his mouth. Cosmo didn't talk much on the way back, which helped him since he was afraid that he may have been caught out otherwise. Sure, Cosmo knew that he had them, but there was a reason as to why he kept quiet about it on the way back.
The two had soon made it back to the station, and Tails spoke. "You were pretty quiet on the way back," he said.
"Yeah..." Cosmo nodded. "I guess that I finally let the nerves get to me after we finished lunch."
"Would you say that you're feeling better now that you're back at work?" Tails asked.
"A little bit," Cosmo nodded again, more hesitantly. "But mostly, I'm feeling calmer around you."
"Good," Tails nodded. "So, I guess I'll see you in a few days."
Before he could leave, he felt a tug at his arm. Instead of trying to resist, he turned around and put his hands on Cosmo's waist, leaning in to kiss her. She was slightly surprised at this, considering that she went to initiate the kiss, but went along with it nonetheless, melting into it with a soft moan.
The kiss was a little bit longer than their earlier exchange in the parking lot of Jade Mountain. It was a much more passionate exchange, the kind of kiss that Tails needed to give to Cosmo to tell her that he'd be fine over the next few days.
After it broke, Cosmo smiled. "I guess I'll see you in a little while..." she blushed.
"Weren't expecting it?" Tails asked.
Cosmo shook her head. "No. Although your breath smelled way better this time."
"I was prepared this time," Tails said, shaking his pocket with the mints in it. "I'll see you around."
"You too," she smiled. "And be careful at the new place."
"I'm the most careful of the four of us," Tails laughed as he walked away, reaching for his phone. He called a taxi, and soon one had arrived. Before he got in, he turned to see Cosmo waving goodbye to him and the fox smiled and did the same before getting into the car.
Tails gave his address to the driver, and was taken back home soon after. The entire time there, he couldn't help the smile on his face. The reason for that smile was primarily for Cosmo, and also because he was looking forward to being a freelancer.
Present time, with Sonic and Amy...
"And here you are," the taxi driver said.
"Thanks so much," Sonic said, paying the driver, even giving some extra. "That's for playing some good music."
"Thank you," the driver smiled. "Take care. When did you want me to pick you back up?"
"You'll find out when your company gets another call," said Sonic. "Sorry for being so vague, but I don't know when that will be."
"It's cool," the driver said. "See you later."
And with that, the driver sped off, and Sonic turned to Amy. "So..."
"So..." Amy smiled.
"Are you ready to get some lunch?"
Amy nodded. "I've been wanting to try these ribs out for a while now."
"Then let us now waste any more time, milady." Sonic offered his arm, and Amy slipped a hand through it, giggling at the terrible knightly accent that he put on.
The two headed for the Jade Mountain. Since they were dropped off at the foot of the parking lot instead of at a parking space, the walk was a little bit longer than Sonic had anticipated, but they made it soon enough.
Sonic opened the door, allowing Amy to enter first, making her smile. "And they say that chivalry is dead."
"Eh, I just wanted to watch you from behind as you walk," Sonic winked, letting Amy know that he was joking.
The pink hedgehog mock gasped before giggling. "Let's just grab our food, you pervert."
Sonic nodded and guided Amy to the front counter. "The suggestions are up on the board up there," Sonic said, pointing.
Amy looked up and gasped. "Whoa... so many combinations..."
Mr. Wong smiled and walked up. "Ah, yet another friendly customer bringing a female to my establishment. Although this female is one I've not seen before."
Sonic smiled at the Asian man. "Wong, this is Amy. She's my date today, and she's rather interesting in procuring some of your legendary ribs."
"Not mine specifically, I hope," Wong smirked. "I kind of need mine." He then turned to Amy. "See anything that takes your fancy?"
Amy looked around for a bit more, then turned to face the owner. "Well, Sonic did recommend the sweet and sour sauce ribs, so I guess I'll try those?"
"They're very much our speciality," Wong smiled. "What about you, Sonic?"
"The same, please," the blue hedgehog replied. "And could I have a drink too? Lemonade, if you have it."
"Sure," Wong nodded, turning back to Amy. "Would you like a drink as well?"
"I've got some coffee with me," Amy smiled.
"All right, I'll get right on it," Wong smiled. He quickly turned around to call the order out to the cooks in the kitchen before turning back to the hedgehogs. "Will you be taking it with you or would you like it brought over?"
"Brought over," Sonic said, reaching for his wallet.
"I'll find us a seat," Amy smiled.
As the pink hedgehog walked off to find a seat, Wong looked at Sonic. "No fizzy drinks for her?" he asked.
"Probably not a good idea," said Sonic as he pulled out the money to pay. "She's got a heart condition, so fizzy drinks aren't a great option, neither is caffeine." He then turned to see Amy pulling out her thermos.
"I'm assuming that her coffee is decaf," said Wong, taking the cash.
Sonic shrugged. "I'll go ask her."
He then walked over to Amy, seeing her drinking carefully from her thermos before checking through her bag. She made sure that she still had her pills, because as Sonic said to the cab driver earlier, there was no way of knowing when they'd be taken back home.
"So... coffee..." Sonic said.
"It's decaf," said Amy. "Don't worry; I did all my research on my heart condition. I know that anything with even the slightest hint of caffeine can be bad for me."
"Ah," Sonic nodded. "I won't lie, I was a little bit worried there."
"I'll be fine," Amy giggled. "I took my afternoon pills earlier, so all that's left are the night ones."
"I've been meaning to ask," Sonic started, "what did you mean by what you told me the other day? About it getting better as you got older?"
"Well, I've had to take less pills for one thing," Amy said. "Another reason is that I've learned more from my mistakes. I remember once I ate a lot of chocolate after a bad breakup and almost went into shock because of that. Luckily, Rosy saved me."
"She knew what to do?" Sonic asked. "I mean, she seems smart, but she's not exactly a trained medical professional."
Amy giggled. "I'm going to tell her that you said that."
"Aw... now I'm in trouble..." Sonic pouted.
Amy smiled disarmingly, and was about to speak again when one of the waiters came around with their food. As ordered, it was sweet and sour ribs with extra sauce on the house, and Sonic had his bottle of lemonade.
"Thank you," both hedgehogs said in unison, making them both laugh.
"Please enjoy," said the waiter, smiling as he walked off.
"So, how did Rosy save you?" Sonic asked.
"By that point, she'd known enough about my heart condition just from me talking about it," Amy said. "I hadn't taken any pills that day, so when I went into shock, she grabbed my pills and a bottle of water and... well, she pretty much saved my life that day."
"Wow," Sonic said, his eyes wide. "So, if you get in trouble with it again, Rosy's the only other person who can help you?"
"Her and Vanilla," Amy said.
"Vanilla?" Sonic asked. "The pharmacist?"
"You know her?" Amy smiled.
"Yeah," Sonic laughed. "She's a family friend of the Prower's. We all call her aunt Vanilla."
"So, I'm guessing you've met Cream as well?" the pink hedgehog asked.
"Yep," Sonic said. "She and Tails are cousins. She's... what, six or seven now?"
"So, what does Tails' family do?" Amy asked.
"His parents own a mechanical shop called the Wrench Turner," Sonic said. "It's also pretty much Tails' home."
"So, he got all of his knowledge from his parents?" Amy asked.
"For the most part," Sonic nodded. "He's actually a lot smarter, I think. Sure, his dad's a dab hand with the underside of a car, and his mum isn't half bad either. But Tails? He's definitely ahead of the curve. I'm glad that his parents see that in him."
"It would be cool to meet him in person one day," smiled Amy. "So, shall we eat now?"
"I don't see why not," Sonic smiled.
The two then opened up their containers of food, and instead of chowing down, Sonic waited to gauge Amy's reaction. Since she was so focused on getting the food form the container, she didn't notice Sonic waiting for her.
Once she had unveiled one of the ribs, she shrugged and bit into it, taking some of the meat off of it. She chewed it for a while before smiling. She took another bite, this one smaller, and soon chewed up the food enough to swallow it down.
"That tastes amazing!" Amy smiled. "You were right."
"Do I seem like the kind of guy who'd steer you wrong?" Sonic smirked.
"I never doubted you for a moment," Amy giggled. "But, damn! I wasn't expecting them to be this good!"
"It's the sauce," Sonic shrugged. "There's just something about it."
Amy nodded. "It's a good mix of sweet and sour, but there's not too much of either. It's well-balanced, and even without it, the rib would still taste as great."
Sonic smiled. "I'm honestly glad that you're liking it so much."
The pink hedgehog nodded again. "If you're lucky, I might be liking it again with you soon." She then hung her head slightly. "That could have been phrased way better..."
"It sounded pretty good to me," Sonic winked.
Amy smiled. "That aside, it's just been nice to be here with you. I'm having a lot of fun."
Sonic smiled back. "Me too. I just wish that the circumstances were better."
Amy reached her sauce-free hand over to touch Sonic's own sauce-free hand. "Listen, I know that it's not easy. But you can't expect to get it right with your first try. I have faith that you're going to do your best. Even if you fail, at least you can say that you tried."
Sonic smiled and, using his hand, pulled hers up to his lips to kiss it gently. "Thank you. You know, you're pretty smart for a kindergarten teacher."
Amy shrugged. "Toddlers are a lot easier to be around than teenagers. Sure, they're more energetic, but it's nice to not have some mopey teen complaining about the world around them."
"You've taught teens before?" Sonic asked.
"Only on rare occasions," Amy said. "Most of my stories of the older classes come from the other teachers."
Sonic shook his head as he put Amy's hand down. "I swear, school is not the best thing for people going through puberty. Having to worry about your education is enough, but combine that with acne, hair growing in strange places, and your voice going squeaky? That's a whole new level of awkward."
"Speaking of hair," Amy smiled, "I noticed your rocking some face fuzz."
The blue hedgehog shrugged. "Eh, it's just some scruff. Do you like it?"
Amy blushed a bit. "It's honestly kinda cute."
Sonic chuckled. "Thanks. I was shooting for kinda cute."
"Well, you nailed it," Amy winked. "Now, hurry up and eat. You haven't touched your food yet, and you recommended this place to me."
Sonic laughed, grabbing another rib and chewing into it before speaking. "Okay, okay! But only if I'm allowed dessert later."
"Does this place do dessert?" Amy asked.
"Not to my knowledge," Sonic said. "But I do have some ice-cream back at home. I was planning to cry as I ate it in case this date went wrong or if you stood me up."
"What flavour is it?" Amy asked.
"Chocolate," Sonic answered.
"Ah. The perfect comfort ice-cream."
"Has it happened to you before?" Sonic asked.
"I've had some breakups, but nothing that serious," Amy teased lightly. "Saying that, Rosy usually has a new man every week. I swear, we'd pay off our bills easier if I weren't constantly buying that woman chocolate chip in a tub..."
"From what I get from her, she doesn't seem like the type to settle down and have a couple of baby pink hedgehogs," Sonic said. "I don't understand how you two are twins. Besides, you know, being born around the same time and looking the same and such."
Amy giggled. "Well, she might be a lot different to me in some ways. Like how she dresses, the fact that her job is at night, and if she'll ever find a good enough man to be with for the rest of her life. But one thing that I love about her is how brave she is for helping me. She's never doubted me, and even after all of the problems with my heart, she still stands by me."
Sonic smiled. "I can see that in you. I can see that bravery. I guess that it passed down from your mother, huh?"
"Do you think that I was brave on that night that you found me?" Amy said. "Because I was scared shitless for most of what happened..."
"So would most people have been," said Sonic. "You kept your head, though. You knew how bad the situation was, and you were scared, sure. But you were rightfully scared. And yet, you're brave for how you handled the situation, despite your hopefully limited experience of being kidnapped."
Amy giggled. "Yeah. That's a first that I don't want to revisit any time soon." She then plucked up another rib. "But this? This is a first that I'm quite enjoying."
"Well, I'll be more than happy to bring you back here whenever my future schedule allows it," Sonic said.
"It's more than just the ribs, although they do taste fantastic," Amy smirked. "I mean, the company. Like I said earlier, it's a lot of fun being here with you. I'm having a good time... thank you, Sonic."
The blue hedgehog smiled. "It's no problem."
The two then laughed a bit before continuing to eat their food in silence. Soon, both were finished, and Sonic stood up and picked up the containers, chucking them in a nearby trash bin before turning to Mr. Wong.
"Thanks for the food, man," Sonic smiled.
"No problem," the owner replied, looking at Amy. "I trust that you're going to try and visit here more?"
"I live pretty far away, but I'll try to," Amy smiled. "I think my sister might like this place."
"Would you like a spare one to take back home for her?" Sonic asked.
"Oh, you don't have to do that," Amy said. "It's no worry."
"I don't mind," Sonic shrugged.
Amy was about to reply when Wong interrupted. "It'll be on the house."
Sonic grinned at the elderly man. "You sure about that?"
"You're a good customer, and you've brought in a potential regular on a date," Wong shrugged. "I'm more than happy to do it." He then turned to Amy. "What type would she like?"
"Hmm... just get her the sweet and sour sauce ribs, I guess," Amy said.
Wong nodded and turn to call the order out to the kitchen. It didn't take long for said order to be delivered to the counter, and Amy took the container from the counter, holding it in her hands carefully.
"I don't have room in my bag for this," Amy said.
"I'll hang on to it," Sonic replied. "You just worry about calling us up another taxi."
"Pushy," Amy winked, then turning to Wong. "Thank you so much."
"Hey, if it gets me more customers, I'm all for it," the Asian man laughed. "Take care, you two."
Sonic and Amy both waved with another spoken farewell before heading out of the restaurant. They walked to the bottom of the parking lot, with Amy having her phone out to call up a cab during the walk.
"It'll be here in a little bit," Amy said. "Fortunately, the nearest one's not far away."
"That is rather fortunate," Sonic smiled. "Almost to the point of convenient."
The pink hedgehog giggled. "Thank you for the date, Sonic."
"Ah, don't thank me yet," the blue hedgehog replied. "Let's get you home in one piece, then you can thank me."
"You're not even a cop or freelancer, and you're still looking after me?" Amy smiled. "How could I ever repay you?"
"Well, ma'am," Sonic started, putting on an authoritative voice, "you could start by keeping yourself out of trouble, helping your community, eating your greens, and looking both ways when crossing the street. That's the Green Hill way."
Amy burst out laughing, which Sonic soon joined. The two soon found themselves looking at each other through the laughter, and Amy stepped forward. Soon, the laughter started to die down.
"I can think of another way..." Amy said, her tone of voice low.
Sonic grabbed her hand as it moved up to his cheek. "You know, I won't make you do anything you don't want to."
"But I want to..." Amy smiled.
Sonic chuckled. "Good."
Without another word, he leaned forward and kissed Amy softly. She moaned and melted into it, returning fire with her own lips and reaching a hand up to rest against Sonic's cheek, smiling as her touch was uninterrupted the second time.
Sonic's own hands reached down to grab Amy's waist, and he pushed his tongue against her lips a bit. She allowed it, and their moans increased as they shared their kiss, their hands wandering more, with Amy brushing her hand through Sonic's quills.
Soon, the pair had stopped, and Sonic was the first to speak. "Damn..."
"That's a hell of another way to repay you, huh?" Amy giggled.
"Damn right," Sonic said. "Sorry for my language, but... damn..."
"My thoughts exactly," Amy giggled, turning her head. "The taxi's here."
Sonic turned to see the vehicle in question pull up next to them, opening the door for the two hedgehogs. "You guys called?"
"We did indeed," said Sonic.
"Hop in."
The two hedgehogs did, and gave their addresses. Sonic said to get Amy home first, for two reasons; one, since she lived further away, it'd be easier to get her home first, and two; so that he could keep his promise of getting her home safely.
They soon reached the pink hedgehog's home, and Sonic received a kiss on the cheek before Amy left the car. Sonic handed her the container with the ribs for Rosy, and she giggled a thanks before leaving and going into her house safely.
With that out of the way, the next destination was for Sonic's own house. Despite some small talk, Sonic and the driver didn't talk much. After a long drive, they made it to the blue hedgehog's house, and Sonic paid the cabby off for both himself and Amy.
Sonic left the car and headed for his front door as the cab sped off to wherever was next, and the blue hedgehog used the spare key under the welcome mat to open up his door. As he did, he took note that it was getting late.
"Ah, there he is!" said Sonia.
"How was the date?" asked Manic.
"It was pretty good," Sonic smiled, unable to wipe the smile from his face.
"You totally kissed her, didn't you?" Sonia giggled.
"A little bit..." Sonic shrugged.
"Did you at least bring back some ribs?" Manic asked.
"What am I, a delivery boy?" Sonic said. "No, I didn't. Sorry. Looks like you'll have to try making your own food up."
Manic shrugged. "Eh, I tried."
"Anyway, I'm going to bed," Sonic said. "It's getting late, and I should get to sleep early for my new job."
"Ah, I almost forgot about that," said his green hedgehog brother.
Sonic shook his head. "I'll see you both tomorrow. Night."
"Night," his siblings said. Sonia then turned to Manic. "He totally kissed her."
"Oh, yeah," Manic nodded. "Let's leave him to get some sleep, though. We can pester him about it when he's not so busy sleeping."
Sonia chuckled, and the two went to the living room. As they did, Sonic laughed lowly at his siblings' jokes whilst climbing into bed, deciding that an early night was the best option for him for now.
"Not a bad day, all things considered," he said to himself. "Let's hope that tomorrow keeps the streak going."
And with that, he closed his emerald green eyes and went to sleep.
Meanwhile, back in Westopolis..."
"Ah..." Nack said as he ate scrambled eggs. "To think, tomorrow is when everything truly begins for me." He took a sip of his decaf coffee. "Everything is falling into place."
"So, what is the plan?" asked one of the humans.
"What I expect it to be," Nack said. "I trust that Lara, Beau, and Manuel will use the money that I gave them to buy their respective products, then hopefully they'll push that product out to other reaches of Westopolis."
"And you trust them?" asked the other human.
"It is like I told you on the day of the deal," said Nack. "I do, because I know that they know that they shouldn't disappoint me. But they also know that I won't go after any of them directly unless I have to."
"It's rare to see crime so organised in this city," said the first human.
"Which is why I'm making the crime in this city organised," Nack said. "I want Westopolis to be more than a filthy corner filled with hookers, junkies, and psychos; I want it to be a corner with dignified hookers, junkies, and psychos."
"Can you dignify any of those three things?" the human asked.
"Of course I can," the purple weasel smiled. "Just look at the people that I made a deal with."
"Pardon me for saying, but Manuel doesn't seem the type to lead a bunch of psychos," said the other human.
"Exactly."
"So, why give him the gun running?"
"Because, out of anyone else in this city, he knows how guns work," Nack said. "And I'm not talking you pull the trigger and a bullet comes out. It's not so simple. Of course, I'm no expert, so I can't even explain it myself. I'm comfortable with the method of pull trigger, kill person."
"He's the only one with children," said the first human. "Would he really go this low to protect them?"
"You should have seen what he did to protect them that landed him in prison," said Nack. "He killed a rather eager teenage boy for trying to force themselves onto one of his daughters. I might deal with hookers, junkies, and psychos. But rape? That's nothing to be too proud of. It's too messy and too fucked up, even for me."
"What about the others two?" asked the second human.
"Lara was caught selling her body, and Beau was caught buying cocaine and meth." Nack snorted a laugh. "More specifically, he mixed the two up."
"He's smart enough to do that?"
"It was an accidental mixing," said Nack. "He almost overdosed. The next thing that he knew, he was locked up. He's just a pusher, nothing more. He gets the drugs around, and he's more than okay to take them. Same goes with Lara and Manuel; they can do whatever they wish, as long as they keep it balanced and remember why they're working for me. They do still owe me, after all. If they do their jobs, and do them right, then all is well. If not... well, not even the bad guys can stay friends forever."
The humans simply nodded, and Nack soon finished eating his food and drank all of his coffee. When he was done, he stood up and quickly went about putting the dishes in the kitchen's dishwasher before heading for the main office.
"I'd best get some rest," he said. "Tomorrow is a big day, boys. Let's make it count."
With that, he closed his main office door and stripped to his underwear before getting under the covers. He turned off the lamp next to his bed and went to sleep, unable to keep his one-fanged smile off of his face.
And that's it for another one! I know that it took me a while, but I think I've found my flow again. I'm doing less thinking... okay, less than usual, and I've just been feeling it out more. There's still a fair chunk of story to go. Before I end this off, I want to know: Do you guys like how I'm writing Nack as a villain? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you all in the next one. Take care, and stay tuned.