A/N: This is where I really start playing fast and loose with various canons. But then again, part of the fun of fanfiction is being able to do so, isn't it? If you're not of the same mind, I apologize in advice for any conipsions this will cause.

Station Square is such an odd place that no one bats an eye when I mention my boss is a war hero and my closest co-worker is an ex-con. Though the more I think about it, maybe it just comes with the territory when the city is a melting pot of so many heroes and ex-villains.

I suppose I should start with the "war hero" part, since he signs my paychecks. Rotor was one of the "first generation" of Mobians to rise against Eggman's grandfather, who made world conquest his family business, siccing his death machines across the planet. What Rotor made up for in a lack of traditional powers, he more than made up for in technical ingenuity, crafting a variety of weapons of his own to go toe-to-toe with early Badniks. By the time Ivo picked up the baton from grandfather dearest, the duty of planetary protection fell on Sonic's generation, and while Rotor came in clutch more than once, he was more of a mentor to me and other gearheads. He taught me so much it'd feel weird not to return the favor, which is why I asked him for a job in his workshop.

I remember him telling me I could've easily gone to work for some big tech firm and make far more money, but I just responded that none of them was run by any Mobian worth his wrench. I was hired pretty soon after.

The work can be rough, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Moving on to the "ex-con," Wave was once part of an infamous thieves' guild known as the Babylon Rogues. They were known for two things- their admittedly badass airship that to this day has never been shot down, and their love for snatching ancient artifacts. While many have been caught over the years, some even by Sonic and myself, only two have gone straight: Wave, who confided to me she felt more fulfilled lending her technical talents to someone who wasn't a "total jackass," and Storm, who once confided to me that he wanted to be a pro-wrestler.

He's actually a pretty cool guy otherwise. He runs a chop shop these days, which I freelanced for one summer. Some of the most creative cursing came from that den of machismo, and for that I am eternally grateful.

It's worth mentioning that Wave has had a complicated history with the current Babylon Rogue leader, Jet. She's had an on-again-off-again relationship with him, attracted to his technical knowledge, sense of humor, and courage, but repulsed by his…everything else. When she left the guild for good, she tried to convince Jet to do so as well. She was convinced she could fix him, and she did…for about three months, then he left in the middle of the night to rejoin the Rogues. He's currently at large and leading a new crew, making headlines whenever he decides to show his stupid, smug beak.

I bring this up for two reasons. For one, while Wave is a shining example of how Mobians can change, Jet is an even brighter example of that sometimes, they really can't. Second, it shows that even the smartest Mobians can make bad judgments when it comes to people they love, or think they love. Her's was Jet. Mine was Fiona. And when it comes to lasting damage, she made it out far easier.

And my friends wonder why I'm so hesitant to try dating again…

"Alright, team meeting," Rotor declared, clapping his flippers together. He had made his entrance from the back room with an energetic stride. It was neither how I thought he'd emerge from his back room nor what he would say.

Wave cocked her head. "Since when do we do team meetings?"

"Since when are three Mobians a 'meeting?'" I agree.

"Since now," Rotor responded. "You can thank me for innovating on those fronts."

I smile. Sonic may have influenced my sense of humor the most, but there's quite a bit of Rotor in there as well. "Fair enough. What's the meeting for?"

"Two announcements. First: Saturdays are going to be appointment-only. There's only so many 'slow Saturdays' we can have before it's clear I'm banging my head against a steel wall. So from now on, I'll only be calling y'all in when we actually have customers."

"Halle-freakin-lujah," Wave said, raising her arms to the sky in mock celebration.

"Does this mean we work on commission on those days?" I ask. As draining and boring Saturdays often are, I still like getting paid. Admittedly selfish, yes, but I like having the rent paid more often than not.

"Nah, you'll still be getting paid," Rotor explains. You guys do so much heavy lifting these days that I'm more than happy to bill it as overtime or something."

"Nice! You're the best, Rotor."

"I would hold off on that. Now for the second order of business- I'm closing the shop for about a week."

The good vibes are shot down like a one-winged duck. "What?" Wave hisses.

"I'm going to give y'all a minute to call me whatever you want before we continue."

"Are we still getting paid?"

"Yeah."

"I'll just leave it at 'you fat bastard,' then."

"An old classic. Think you can top that, Tails?"

I blink. "N-no, I'm good. But seriously, a week?"

The walrus nods. "I got a call from an old friend recently. His wife is pretty sick, and she needs my help. I'll be gone for a while, and I don't want to stress y'all out trying to learn how to run a business, so-"

"Hold up," Wave says, "'help?' You're not secretly a doctor, are you? Is that where you go on Sundays?"

"Nope, just a damn good mechanic. And when the person in question is still suffering from Robotnik Syndrome, a mechanic is as important as a doctor."

"Yeesh, RS is no joke. Good luck, man, hope it works out."

I nod along. Rotor's talking about Bunnie, one of his cohorts from the Gerald days. She was one of the first "successful robotizations," making her an unwilling cyborg. She and many other Mobains who never fully recovered from the process have been diagnosed with RS, meaning their body has trouble juggling their organic needs with the leftover bio-circuitry, leading to serious sickness. I never met Bunnie, but Rotor's stories about her make her sound like a wonderful Mobian. "Best wishes, Rotor."

"Thanks, guys," Rotor says. "So to recap, once we close shop, y'all have time off until I get back in town. Meeting adjourned, now let's sweep some metal shavings." He immediately heads to where we keep the cleaning supplies.

"Right-o." Wave and I follow suit. Wave looks like she's gliding- she must've really needed that time off. It was only after I got my hands on the broom that I realized that I essentially have a nine-day weekend. Hell, maybe even longer. Normally, long weekends throw me off, since I'm one of those weirdos that feel guilty if they aren't doing something productive. Nine-plus days sounds like a nightmare. That realization only compounds when I realize I'll be alone with my thoughts for that time, with nothing to distract me.

Thoughts filled with Cream. And many agonizing, Cream-related worries.

As I start sweeping, I start internally praying there's some villain somewhere plotting some dumb plan. A mission might be dangerous, but I'll take any opportunity to avoid being by myself.

Chaos, how socially inept can you get when you'd rather risk your life than talk to a girl you like?

Not long after leaving work, I got a call from Charmie, offering an invite to his apartment for a gaming marathon. I figured hanging out with some friends would do me some good, especially with Charmie and Kit. In the past, I gravitated to Mobians Sonic's age, since, well most of my world kinda revolved around his adventures. Nowadays, I know enough Mobians my age to have an actual clique that feels natural. Cream may have usurped Sonic for the title of "best friend," but Charmie and Kit are close seconds and thirds respectively.

They're also far more into video games than most others I know, which is a massive plus. I can't talk to Sonic about fighting games tier lists, that's for sure.

Charmie has grown a lot since his Chaotix days, and I'm not just talking about how tall the bee's gotten. He's not nearly as nosy or annoying, and can be far more considerate about the people in his life. He has actual skills now, chiefly among them being an amazing musician. He's actually on Myoose, selling some banger tunes. He gets into friction with Espio and Mighty every so often, which can be awkward when they're the ones sheltering him (leading to many "I have two dads" jokes), but what teenager doesn't fight with their caretakers?

Well, maybe that's Kit, but I don't begrudge him for it. The guy's been through…a lot. So much, in fact, I'm surprised he's as sweet as he is. He's quiet, sure, but he gives Cream and Marine a run for their money when it comes to looking out for people. He's also one of the few Mobians that can get some good out of Surge, which is a miracle in and of itself. He's been studying at Station Square Community College for an engineering degree, and if his gadgets are any indication, he'll be a shoe-in.

He's also one of the best fighting game players I've seen. That boy can throw some serious virtual hands.

"HYPER COMBO KO!" blares the TV. On screen, a ronin-themed Zeti villain crumples in the face of a powerful string of blows delivered by a robotic super-ninja.

Fighting games are wild, man. Especially Paragon Comics vs Shellsoft 5. I mean, it's no PCvS3 Apex Edition, but then again, few things are.

Charmie sits there dumbfounded. "When did you get this good, bro?"

Kit does his trademark shy smile and leans back. "I've been practicing when I can," he admits. "Sarutobi's hard to master, but his damage thresholds are worth it."

"No kidding. Kind of insult-to-injury when you kick my ass with a ninja."

"Espio trouble, again?"

"Hoo yeah. He's been on my ass about schoolwork. He thinks I'm spending too much time on my mixes and mix-ups and not enough on Mobian Literature. Like that's ever done anyone good."

I laugh. "Don't let Ms. Dulcy hear you say that. That'd break her poor old heart."

"Either that or cardiac arrest. Damned land whale." He tosses the Olympus controller my way. "You're up, Prower."

"Sounds good. Go easy on me, Kit, I'm rusty."

"I doubt it," Kit shrugs. "Last time you said that you kicked by butt."

Charmie smiles wily. "Come on, Kit, you can cuss with us. Cream's not here, so no stink eyes."

I freeze up when I hear Cream's name. I was having such a good time with the guys, I forgot what I was running from. And as if on cue, my mind stops thinking about team construction and assists and starts thinking about confessions and heartbreak.

Dude, she sees so many different Mobians every day, what makes you think she hasn't found some else at her school?

What makes you think she might be into you to begin with? You have next to nothing in common with her!

What if she says yes because she doesn't want to make you sad? Pity dates suuuuuuuuck!

Remember that sundress she wore last year at Emerald Beach? Damn, boy, you sure can pick 'em…

Damn it all, when did my inner voice become so…thirsty?

"Yo, Mobius to Tails!" Charmie snaps, lightly whacking me on the back.

"What?" I stare ahead, realizing we're on the character select screen. Kit is looking at me with genuine concern, while Charmie looks more confused than anything.

"Geez, since when were you such a space cadet?"

"How-how long have I been sitting here?"

"About a minute," Kit reveals. "You started making a team, then…nothing. Are you alright? You look frazzled."

"I'm okay."

"You sure? You froze up pretty bad."

"Yeah, I'm fine." I feel bad for lying to them about what's on my mind, but I doubt either of them would be very helpful for thoughts like this. Charmie's track record with romance is quite poor, and I don't think Kit even has a record to begin with. The fennec can barely talk to lab partners, so talking to a romantic interest must be torture for him.

Charmie shakes his head. "Nah, I'm calling bullshit. No one gets war flashbacks before a game even starts."

I was going to quip that each of us have seen our share of actual warfare, but he was right, unfortunately. I can't really save face here, but I'm also not in a mood to talk about this. Cream is their friend, too, and it'd probably weird them out to admit that I'm, as Wave put it, "down bad" for her.

"Tails, if you're not feeling that good, you can take a break," Kit offers.

"Yeah, man. I'm not super eager to get womped again, but if you need some time to yourself-"

"No, you're right," I sigh. I suppose I can clue them in without naming names. "I'm, uh, kinda been in a funk for a while now."

"I'm sorry," Kit sympathizes. "Depression really is a struggle."

"It's not really depression. It's more…stupid than that."

"Stupid how?" Charmie asks.

"...I'm catching feelings for someone."

I brace myself for something- shocked gasps, hysterical laughter, any sort of reaction from the guys so I can brush this off and keep playing. Instead, there was an eerie silence. Kit sat there looking like he'd seen a cryptid, and Charmie stared on in sheer disbelief. "So that's it," he murmured. "That…explains a lot, actually."

"In what way?"

"Well, crushes can make people do stupid, weird shit. Trust me, I've seen it firsthand. You should've seen some of the dumbass things Vector did to get Vanilla's attention."

"Yeah, but that's not why I feel like an idiot."

"Huh?"

"Um," Kit offered, "I think it's because of, uh, you-know-who."

Charmie rolled his eyes. "Who, Voldemort?"

"N-no, I mean-"

"I know, I know, it's Fiona. Geez, 'you-know-who,' are you sure you're the oldest Mobian here?"

"Lay off," I grumble. "He has the right idea. I never want to talk about that bitch ever again. But," I sigh, "it's still not why. No offense guys, but I don't think it's a good idea to talk to either of you about crushes." Mainly because it involves one of our friends, but also because the advice would be terrible.

"Oh," Kit said, a bit crestfallen. "Y-you sure we can't help?"

"Sorry, Kit. I'm not trying to be a dick. I just…I dunno, need an expert, I guess."

Charmie scratched his head. "An expert, eh? Well, count me out. The last girl that said 'yes' was," he started counting on his fingers. "Chaos, that was four months ago. And that date sucked."

"I rest my case."

"Mmm," Kit hummed.

I knew that noise. Kit definitely had good ideas, but he had trouble getting them out there without help. That "mmm" typically meant he was thinking, and nine times out of ten, the thought was worth sharing. "What's up, Kit?"

The fennec waited a second before responding. "You said you needed advice, right?"

I blink. I hadn't thought too deeply about it, but I guess having an ear or just more input in general would help. I remember trying to muddle through some tween angst by myself, only to have some choice advice from Sonic and company lift me up. Maybe a talk with someone more experienced would help. "I think some advice would help, yeah."

"Well, why not ask the biggest relationship expert in Station Square? You're friends with her, right?"

"You mean Amy?" Kit was on to something. Despite her age, Amy was something of a town matchmaker, with an uncanny knack for helping couples out of tough spots. A self-declared "love freak," she knew a ton about relationships. Sure, she was one of Cream's friends too, but she had gotten really good at keeping secrets, especially when it came to information that might hurt someone.

Charmie snapped his fingers. "Hey, there's a ten-ring idea! I bet Amy would be all over this! She helped Silver and Blaze tie the knot, right? And without her, Vector would still be trying to get on Vanilla's good side with cheap gifts."

I mull over Kit's suggestion for a few more seconds. "Getting in touch with her shouldn't be too hard," I admit. "She usually has Sundays off. Alright, sounds like a plan. Thanks, Kit."

Kit looks down, smiling bashfully. "Happy to help."

Charmie claps. "Yay, crisis averted. Okay, loverboy, are you going to play, or is it my turn again?"

I smile. "I figure I can play a few rounds. It's not Sunday yet." I pick the controller back up. "Now let's see if I remember Killshot's wall combos…" Tomorrow I can worry about what to say; today I really want to blow off some steam.

A/N: Told you I was playing fast and loose. Hope it didn't make things too weird. By the way, the game they're playing is supposed to be a Marvel vs Capcom parody. Man, I miss good MvC games...