Chapter 2:

Now or never

The 15 year old yellow kitsune and the 16 year old blue hedgehog spent the rest of the afternoon playing, laughing, yelling, high fiving and more, enjoying the companionship of one another. They were having so much fun that neither realized just how quickly the time had passed. The blazing sphere of heat slowly dipped below the horizon, relinquishing the sky to the magnificent rays of the moon, which shone brightly, illuminating the streets below.

Tails, although having fun, had seemed a little off to Sonic. Through the whole afternoon his heart was racing at a million kilometers a minute, as a war was being raged inside the dark reaches of his mind.

'Tell him now,' his heart screamed at him.

'What if he says no?' his brain retorted swiftly. 'We don't want to lose him as a friend.'

'It's now or never!' his heart screamed. 'Sonic's parents will be back any minute!'

'We always have tomorrow, or the next day,' his brain tried to reason. Most afternoons, the two friends would go back to either house, and hang out until their parents got back from their jobs. Most afternoons, Sonic would ask to spend at Tails' house because they had more time to be alone, seeing as his dad died a couple years ago and his mother had to hold up an extra job to support her son, meaning that Tails' was alone most of the time. However, he was never truly alone, as Sonic would always be there for him if he ever felt sad or lonely.

"Tails, are you feeling alright?" Sonic asked. Tails snapped back to reality after realizing that his character on the screen had stopped moving as he had the battle within himself.

"I…it's nothing, Sonic," Tails' replied sheepishly. It wasn't convincing.

"Bud, I know when you're lying to me. I'm your best friend, you can't trick me," he smirked, his signature smile crossed his face as he flashed his traditional thumbs up pose. Tails tried to calm himself, using all his might to stop the red tinge of colour that began to appear on his muzzle as he blushed. Sonic looked so beautiful when he did that. It was one of the many things the young kit loved about Sonic.

"So what is the matter, little buddy" Sonic continued, determined to help his friend out and not let him hide his feelings away.

By now, both the hedgehog and fox were leaning up against the back board of Sonic's bed, controllers in hand as the only light in the room was the one being created by the low glow of the T.V screen.

Tails loved Sonic's house and always preferred to go over there if ever given the choice. Although they could be alone more often at his house, the thought of hanging out with Sonic in his bed, alone, was too much to pass up. If only Sonic's parents didn't get home so early, assuming his mother was out, since she was home most of the time anyway.

"Well," tails sighed as he began. Was he really going to tell his secret? What if Sonic didn't feel the same way? What if he thought Tails was disgusting and gross for having those feelings? What if he didn't want to be his best friend anymore, or worse, told everyone about how Tails was gay? The whole town would surely turn on him, as their religious views were too heavily ingrained on society. Even his mum, who denounced her faith and refused to go to church with the rest of the community after the horrific death of her husband, would still probably see Tails as a lesser being after finding out. The humiliation and disappointment would be too much to handle. What if they kicked him out of town? He didn't want to be alone. All he wanted was to belong, be accepted. Be with Sonic.

"I…I'm just really hungry is all," Tails finished. "Let's get some food!" He jumped off of the bed and hurried downstairs and into the kitchen.

Sonic sighed, knowing full well that his friend was hiding something from him, but shrugged it off and followed the fox anyway.

The two raided the fridge, selecting all the food they wanted. Sonic prepared, and then quickly devoured, some chilly dogs whilst Tails simply snacked on some left over chicken that was stashed away in the back.

Tails stared at his cobalt love, memorized as he ate. We watched in awe at the speed at which Sonic ate. It was like an art form. The perfect bites, the precise motions of chewing, even the little bits of crumbs that fell from the dog and stained the hedgehog's bandana. When just a little bit of the dog remained, Sonic expertly tossed it in the air, watching it spin as he opened his mouth wide, and swallowed it. Tails secretly wished that it was him, and not the chilly dog, which got to be tasted by Sonic, but tried to shake the thought away as soon as it entered his head.

The door opened and the two boys heard the call of Sonic's mother, "Sonic, sweetie, are you home? I need help with the groceries."

"Coming mum," He called back, rushing out to help his mother with the shopping. When she arrived in the kitchen, she saw Tails sitting at the table, finishing off his snack and beamed a happy, welcoming smile to the young fox. "Oh hello Tails, I should have known that you would be here," she laughed. "How's your mum?"

"Fine missus Hedgehog," he replied.

"If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times. Sally is fine." She laughed again and moved over to the cupboards, putting the various items in their respected positions. Tails smiled, he simply adored Sonic's mum. She was so nice to him. If only Sonic's dad was the same.

"Mum, can Tails stay over a little longer? We are almost finished this super hard level," he begged. Sonic's mother simply nodded and the two boys ran back up to the bedroom.

The two continued playing, until Tails felt his phone buzzing in his pocket (or where ever they keep things…) He picked up his phone and answered it, hearing a short buzzing sound before the voice of his own mother, speaking softly. "Tails, are you at Sonic's house? Please come home now, dinner is ready." A loud beep was heard and his mother hung up.

"Do you have to leave?" Sonic asked, looking away from the T.V, staring straight into Tails' eyes. His emerald pupils shone brighter than the sun and sparkled lightly, dancing their cruel dances, tempting Tails. He couldn't help it, he had to tell his love the truth. It was now or never. "S…Sonic, I…I n…need to t…tell," he began, fighting back the tears that began forming in his eyes.

The young kitsune wasn't strong enough, and the tears that had been welling in the pools of his eyes began flowing freely, cascading down his cheeks and splashing on the blanket that was wrapped around the two friends for warmth. Tails pulled his pilot goggles down, trying to mask the tears but Sonic had already seen his friend.

"What's wrong Tails? You can tell me anything," he began, pulling his friend in and wrapping his long, thin arms around the fox's back. The warm embrace was too much for Tails to handle and he began melting in Sonic's warmth. He nuzzled his head into Sonic's chest, trying to stop the freely flowing tears.

'You can't do this,' his brain yelled at him. 'Get out now!'

Tails suddenly leapt off the bed and ran downstairs and outside to the street, running all the way to the park that served as the halfway point between both the boy's houses at the other end of the street. He ran through, hiding in the small patch or blueberry bushes the lined the far corner of the park. The place that the two boys would often play in and hide from their parents when it was time for them to leave the park as kids. The park where the two boys first met.

He sat there, trying to regulate his breathing and stop the tears that still flowed from his eyes. His stomach was churning and he felt like he was about to throw up, when suddenly, he heard the metal gate screech open and hear the crunching of leaves on the ground as somebody approached the bushes.

"Tails," Sonic began. "Buddy, come back inside. It's cold out and it is supposed to snow later today. You can't hide from me forever, what is wrong?" His words so sweet, kind and sincere. He really cared for his younger friend.

Tails thought for a moment as the blue hedgehog crawled into the little hiding spot in amongst the bushes and put his arm around the young fox's shoulder, bringing him in close. Sonic's scent was overwhelmingly sweet to the fox. He felt so weak.

'It is now or never,' he thought to himself. He had to tell Sonic, no matter what. He wouldn't be happy unless he did and his friend had a right to know.

Tails turned to Sonic, looking into his emerald eyes as Sonic looked back into the sky blue pupils of Tails. Tails closed his eyes, leant forward and place a small kiss on Sonic's lips before breaking apart and whispering, "I love you, Sonic."

Sonic didn't recoil, but didn't kiss back either. He just sat there, next to Tails, eyes staring wide. His mind was racing a hundred miles a minute. 'Did that just happen?' he thought to himself.

"I…I'm so sorry, Sonic." Tails began to cry again.

"Don't cry Tails," Sonic sighed.

"You don't love me, do you? You probably think I'm disgusting. You probably hate me because I'm gay and our religion doesn't allow that," he choked through tears.

"I don't hate you Tails, but I need time to think. Please go home, buddy. Goodbye." That's all Sonic could say before he got up and sprinted away, as fast as his legs could take him. All the way to his house, leaving his best friend, Tails, to cry, alone, amongst the blueberry bushes.