The soft sizzling sounds from the kitchen stirred the fox awake from his uneasy slumber on the sofa. He sat up, covering his mouth and closing his eyes as he stretched, letting out a loud yawn. Not too long after awakening, the strong scent of bacon filled his nose. Tails turned and looked over the back of the couch.

In the kitchen, Amy Rose stood over the stove, a pan of bacon sizzling on one side and a second pan making an omelet on the other. She wore an apron over an old T-shirt and some shorts. Tails couldn't help but stare a little as she flipped the omelet with a spatula, a soft, loving smile on his lips. "She can wear anything and still look beautiful," he thought to himself. He sat there, looking over the couch, admiring her for a few moments.

The pink hedgehog looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Morning, sleepyhead," she said to the kitsune. "What are you so happy about?"

"Don't say anything stupid, Miles," Tails thought.

"Bacon!" he blurted out, a bit louder than he had intended.

"You're such an idiot," he thought again. "What did I just tell you?"

Amy burst out into laughter.

"Never mind! Whatever you're doing, it's good. Keep doing it!"

"I take it you're hungry, then?" the hedgehog asked as she prepared a plate.

"Yes," the fox replied, "and tired. I've slept on a couch twice this week."

Amy walked over to him with a plate full of food. "You should've said something last night, I would've let you take my bed."

"It's not a big deal," Tails said as he took the plate from her. "I'm just a little grouchy from having just woken up. Thanks for breakfast."

Amy ruffled his hair a bit. "Well, I've got a pot of coffee brewing. If you're less cranky, maybe I'll give you some."

Tails moved his head away from Amy's hand as he took a bite out of a bacon strip. "I'll be less cranky if you stop making my bed head even worse." He pulled out his phone and checked the time. "Woah, it's half past 10:00? Shouldn't you be at work?"

The pink hedgehog smirked. "Check your calendar."

Tails quickly pulled up the calendar app on his phone. He was about to sarcastically respond, "Yep, it's Thursday alright," until he realized the day was marked as a holiday. Curious, he opened the event. The event read, "Peace Day- All Day Event." Right, how could he forget? Peace Day, the national holiday declared by the president to mark the day Eggman was finally sentenced for his crimes. That meant no school and no work- assuming you didn't work retail, at least.

"I completely forgot it was Peace Day," Tails muttered. "Guess you're not heading in today then, huh?"

"Nope!" the hedgehog said with a smile. "Are you heading home after breakfast?"

"Well, I was planning on that, but… uh…" The kitsune looked away nervously. "If you don't have anything going on today, I wouldn't mind hanging out with you some more."

Amy thought for a moment. "Hmm… I don't think I have anything planned. I was thinking about going shopping at the mall or catching a movie, but I don't know if you'd be down for that."

Tails shrugged after swallowing a bite from his omelet. "Hey, you've taken me shopping plenty of times, right? Unlike Sonic, I don't complain every fifteen seconds."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Not until you're carrying at least five bags on each arm, that is."

"Hey, that was then and this is now! I've put on some muscle. Check this out!" The kitsune rolled up his sleeve and flexed what little muscle was there. "See? Look at that. I can probably carry at least six bags on each arm now."

The hedgehog laughed. "For a genius, you sure are pretty stupid."

"I'm well aware," Tails agreed with a smile."

Amy shook her head at the fox, still smiling. "Well, either way, I doubt you'd wanna sit through a girly romantic comedy with me," she sighed.

Tails frowned. "Are you really that forgetful?"

"Huh?" Amy asked, caught off guard. "What do you mean?"

"Think back to the other day, when the four of us all hung out."

She thought for a moment, before her eyes widened. "No…" she gasped.

"Mmm-hmm, that's right," the fox said smugly. "I may not look like it, but I enjoy a good romantic comedy flick every now and then."

Amy shrugged. "I guess I'm out of excuses, then. You must really like hanging out with me, huh?" We've hung out an awful lot lately."

"O-of course I love hanging out with you!" Tails said quickly, trying not to blush. "You know, over the past few years, we've practically become best friends."

Amy blushed a little. "Really? I thought that Sonic was your best friend."

"He's more like an older brother, honestly. We don't hang out nearly as much as we used to these days. Plus, even he couldn't help me get over the break-up… or the phase." He shuddered a little at the thought of all the black clothes buried very deep in the back of his closet. "So, yeah, I think of you like my best friend. Hope you don't mind, or anything like that."

"No, no, not at all!" Amy replied quickly. "Cream and I were besties for a good while, but when she moved away we stopped talking as much. Now that I think about it, you really are like my new bestie." She smiled down at her twin-tailed friend.

Tails smiled back at her for a moment, not sure of what to say. "Well, I'm gonna finish breakfast and get myself ready. Do you mind if I use your shower?"

"Go right ahead! I'll get you a cup of coffee as well."

Watching as she walked back into the kitchen, the kitsune smiled and went back to finishing his food. "Best friends…" he thought. "That's a good start, right?"

The kitsune and hedgehog walked through the mall, looking for the theater. It took a bit longer than it should've, seeing as how Tails had to keep reminding Amy they had to wait to shop until after they were done with the movie. By the time they finally found it, they only had ten minutes before the movie was about to start. "Two tickets to see The Mechanic's Assistant, please!" Amy said to the clerk. She reached into her purse to grab her card, but her attention was broken by soft slapping sound. Looking up, she saw that her kitsune friend hand slapped his card down and slid it over to the teller.

After the tickets were paid for, the two walked in and waited in line. Amy elbowed Tails in the gut, saying, "I was gonna pay for that, dummy!"

Tails rubbed his aching side. "You bought dinner last night," he said. "It was my turn to pay for something."

The hedgehog crossed her arms. "Well in that case, I'm buying the snacks, whether you like it or not."

"Well, if you insist…" the kitsune muttered, scratching the back of his head. "Could you please get me Chaos Cola? I'm alright sharing a popcorn bucket if you are."

"Well… since you asked nicely," Amy teased. "Hold our spot while I go get the snacks."

"Alright, no problem."

Amy walked over to the snack counter and placed their order. As she waited for them to fill the bucket of popcorn, the vendor made small talk with her. "So, that guy you came in with," he said, "are you two dating?"

Any blinked. "What?" she asked.

"The fox guy, with the two tails. Kinda looks like Sonic's old sidekick, come to think of it. He and you on a date?"

She cringed at the "sidekick" comment, but decided to let it go since Tails didn't hear it. "No, we're just friends," she explained. "Really good friends, but nothing more than that."

"I see. I just thought you were on a date or something 'cuz he's been staring at you the whole time you've been up here."

Amy looked at him, confused, before looking over her shoulder. Sure enough, Tails was staring at her from his place in line. He grinned and waved at her, to which she gave a little wave back. Amy turned to face the cashier again. "No, we're not dating. He's just eager for some popcorn," she said with a giggle.

The cashier shrugged. "Well that's good. Usually when a guy is staring at a lady over here he's either up to no good or making sure his partner is ok. Sorry for the confusion."

"It's alright, I can see why you'd assume that. The movies are a popular date location."

"I wish Sonic would take me to see a movie," she thought.

After getting their food and drink, Amy rejoined Tails in the line. Soon enough, they were on their way into the theater, the movie about to start. They took a seat at the very back, in the middle of the room. "The acoustics are better," Tails had insisted. For about an hour, they sat back and enjoyed the movie. It was closer towards the end of the film in the third act when Tails started to feel a little odd.

"Broooo, you've fallen in love with your assistant?!" said a badger character in the film. He was the typical stoner skateboarder best friend stereotype.

"I can't help it," said the fox character. He was the titular mechanic, the film's main character. "She's my everything… but she's in love with Billy Skinny Jeans."

"Billy Skinny Jeans?! The rockstar?! Bro, he doesn't date anyone at all! He's a free spirit, man!"

"I know! But all I want is for her to be happy, and damn it, that rockstar makes her happy."

"Bro, you're so stupid! All she's gonna get is a lifetime of endless rejection and heartbreak! He ain't gonna make her happy!"

"Well, what do I do? Sure we hang out a lot, but there's no way she cares about me the way I care about her. Besides, how can I even compete? I'm just a lowly car mechanic, and he's Billy Skinny Jeans!"

"Brroooooooo you just gotta tell her how ya feel, homie!"

"Tell her how I feel?"

"Yeah, ya big dummy! How will she know if you never tell her, bro?!"

"You're right! I've gotta tell her! I'm gonna get in this vintage hot rod the two of us built together and drive over to her house right now!"

"Yeaaahhhhh boooooyyyyy, you go! Don't come back until you and that hedgehog are a couple! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna get super high and ride a totally radical halfpipe!"

"Is this movie some kind of personal attack against me?" Tails thought.

Despite the weirdly relatable moments in the movie for the kitsune, the two of them had a great time watching the movie. After that, they went on Amy's little shopping spree. By the time they were about done, Tails was carrying six bags on each of his arms. Amy went to give him two more, but he frantically shook his head. "Nope, we've reached the limit!" the fox said quickly.

The hedgehog smirked. "I guess you were right," she said, "you can carry up to six bag on each arm now."

"Those single royalties must pay really well if you're able to afford all this," Tails replied with a dumb grin.

Amy pointed to a shop as they passed by it. "Hey look, Hot Topic! And they've got a sale on jewelry!"

She giggled as Tails let out a defeated groan. Before he could say anything, however, a woman came speeding by and crashed right into him, knocking him to the ground. Amy let out a gasp of surprise. "Tails! Are you alright?"

The twin-tailed fox sat up, rubbing his back in pain, unearthing himself from the pile of clothes, cosmetics, and various knick knacks that had spilled out of all the bags. "Ugh…" he groaned. "I'm alright… what about her?"

"Oh!" Amy turned her attention to the woman. "Ma'am, are you alri-" Her eyes widened as she realized just who the woman in question was. "Oh no…" she whispered.

Tails looked at her with concern. "What's up? Is she alright?"

"Oh my GOSH!" the woman yelled. "I am like, soooooooo sorry! I totally spaced and don't see you there!" Tails turned to look at her. The woman was a jackal with a gold earring in her left ear. She wore a red dress reminiscent of the one Amy used to wear. That's when he realized who she was- the waitress from the restaurant and number one Amy Rose ran, Jackie. "I'm like, really, really, really sorry!" Jackie cried. "Are you like, alright? I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"I'm alright, I'm alright, don't worry!" Tails said quickly. "You're Jackie, right? What are you doing here?"

The jackal looked up at the kitsune and blinked. "Oh my GOSH! Are you the real Miles Prower?! And you recognize me?! That is like, sooooooo awesome!" She looked up at Amy and a look of pure excitement appeared on her face. "Oh my GOSH! It's like, the real Amy Rose! What are you doing here?!"

Amy sighed. "Well, I was shopping…"

"Oh my GOSH! Samesies! I found out today was the Peace Day Sale and was like, totally on my way to the Rose Fashion shop! But then I like, got distracted and started thinking about my fiancé, and then I crashed into you guys! Sorry!"

Jackie helped Tails up and the three of them started to put the items back in the bags. "Hey, Jackie," Tails asked cautiously. "You're fiancé… you mentioned he work at the airport, right? He wouldn't happen to be Eric of Station Square Air Traffic Control, would he?"

The Jackal's face lit up. "Oh my GOSH! He like, totally is! He's gonna be like, suuuuuuper excited when I tell him you remember him! He's like, your biggest fan!"

"Oh, I'm aware. You guys are getting married, right? When is that again?"

"That's right! It's like, still being planned, but like, we're thinking maybe in two or three months? As long as like, nothing big happens between now and then."

"Wait," Amy muttered, "you're super fan and my super fan are marrying each other?"

Tails shrugged. "Small world."

"Oh my GOSH!" Jackie turned to Amy and grabbed her hands, looking into her eyes with pure enthusiasm. "Amy, you should like, toooootally come to the wedding! Eric already invited Tails, and he said he might come! It would be like, suuuuuuuper cool if you came as well!"

Amy looked at Tails, raising an eyebrow. "Did you really say you might attend their wedding?"

The kitsune gave her a defeated look. "I couldn't just give a flat out 'no' after hearing all that enthusiasm of his," he admitted with a shrug.

The hedgehog rolled her eyes and turned back to Jackie. "Ummm… as long as he's going and I've got room in my schedule, I'll consider it, ok?" She gave the jackal a half-hearted smile.

Jackie let go of her and jumped up, excitedly. "Oh my GOSH! You're like, the best EVER! I can't believe my savior might ACTUALLY attend my wedding! This is sooooooo totally awesome!"

Amy blinked. "Savior?" A look of confusion crossed her face.

"Hang on," she thought, "have I… met her before?"

"Oh my GOSH!" Jackie gasped, interrupting the pink hedgehog's thoughts. "I like, tooootally forgot about the sale! I can't miss my chance to get fifty percent off dresses!" She began to run away from the two of them, but stopped and turned around. "Oops, almost forgot! Bye-bye, you two! Sorry for crashing into you, Mr. Prower!" With that out of the way, she turned and began to sprint through the mall again.

Amy sighed. "She's a little all over the place, isn't she?"

"Yeah, but she certainly means well," Tails said, picking up the bags again. "Now can you lead me to your car? I may be able to hold a total of twelve bags now, but that doesn't mean these aren't heavy."

The pink hedgehog smiled. "What happened to all that muscle, huh?" She ruffled his hair a bit, knowing full well he couldn't do anything about it. "Come on, I'll lead the way.

"Look bro, all I'm saying is you should get out of the house more," Knuckles said into his phone. "Like… you know, get some sunshine, hang out with people." The echidna smirked. "I be Blaze would be down to hang out with you…"

"Gosh, I don't know man," Silver said on the other end. "I haven't spoken to her in a while because I keep getting nervous around her. I don't wanna go somewhere with her and be an awkward, nervous wreck around her the whole time…"

"You just gotta be chill, bro. Hey, why don't you take her to see a movie? And not some superhero flick or nerdy sci-fi thing, something that she wants to see."

"Hmmm… I don't know… I'll think about it. How far are you into that game, by the way?"

"Oh, the hipster wolf guy just told the mouse dude that no one cares about his dead sister, then the cat lady and the camera guy told him off for being an ass. Now the hipster guy is just being a baby and going around town applying to places."

"Oh yeah, that's one of the best scenes in the game, really emotional stuff. Really shows you he's not a great guy and highlights how much of an unreliable narrator he is."

"Sure, yeah… I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention."

Knuckles glanced out the window and saw Tails walking up to the door, keys in hand. "Yo, Silver, I gotta go. Lover boy is back."

"Lover boy?" Silver responded, confused. "…Oh, wait, Tails. Right. It's like, mid-2022. That makes sense. Ok, talk to ya later Knuckles."

"See ya, Silver. Remember to go ask your favorite cat girl on a date." He hung up before Silver could yell at him, just as Tails walked in through the door. "So, how'd your one night stand go?" he asked the kitsune, a smug look on his face.

"Oh wow, you're such a comedic genius," Tails said sarcastically, rolling his eyes."

The kitsune plopped himself down on the couch next to his red friend, tired. "We had fun, you know? Bought her flowers on a whim, fell asleep in the lobby, got woken up like five hours after we were supposed to meet up because the meeting she was in went on for so long, had an extremely late dinner of fast food, passed out on her couch, woke up to breakfast." He scratched his chin, recounting the events of the past day. "Went to see a movie with her that… weirdly hit close to home for me, then went shopping with her throughout the mall and literally ran into her biggest fan. Pretty eventful."

"You sound a little down, though," Knuckles noted. "Is it that movie?"

"Kinda, not really," Tails shrugged. "It's mostly just a conversation we had this morning. She seemed a little surprised when I called her my best friend, but she did say she thought of me the same way."

"And you're sad about that because…?"

"Well… and this might be the movie talking, but… I'm worried that's how I'll always be seen in her eyes. Her best friend who she takes shopping and hangs out with sometimes, and nothing more."

Knuckles stood up from the couch and bonked Tails on the head. "Ow!" he yelled, clutching his head in pain. "The hell did you do that for, ya knucklehead?!"

"You're talking stupid again," Knuckles said plainly, crossing his arms. "You're her best friend, right? That means she cares about you a lot. Even more than other people! What are you so worried about?"

The kitsune sighed. "I guess you've got a point… I'm just worried that I'm never gonna be able to tell her how I feel."

The echidna knelt down and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "This stuff takes time, bro. You're getting to know each other more and more, which is good. You're also hanging out with her a lot more, which is even better! You'll get there someday, bro."

Tails smiled. "You're right. Thanks, Knux."

Knuckles stood up. "Think about it this way, bro- your best friend is the love of your life. If she feels the same way as you do, you're gonna have an unbreakable bond. Or at least a better one than Rouge and I had."

The kitsune thought for a moment. "My best friend is the love of my life…"

"Your best friend is the love of your life."

"My best friend… is… the love of my life…"

"Hey man, don't tell me," Knuckles pointed out the window. "Go tell the world!"

A spike of adrenaline ran through Tails' entire body as he sprinted out his front door and jumped off his front porch. He cupped his hands around his mouth and screamed, "HEY WORLD! MY BEST FRIEND IS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE! YOU HEAR ME?! MY BEST FRIEND IS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!" He lowered his arms and hunched over, hyperventilating deeply as he clasped his knees, depleted of energy.

"WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP?!" a man from somewhere in the distance screamed. "I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!"

"HEY, SCREW YOU MAN!" another guy in the distance yelled back. "THE DUDE IS IN LOVE WITH HIS BEST FRIEND AND I JUST THINK THAT'S BEAUTIFUL!"

"OH, NOT THIS AGAIN! WILL YOU SHUT UP?! I'M TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!"

"IT'S BARELY HALF PAST SEVEN, YOU DUMB GROUCH!"

"I'M OLD, WE GO TO BED EARLY, IT'S WHAT WE DO!"

"MAYBE IF YOU HAD A LOVE LIFE, YOU WOULDN'T GO TO BED SO EARLY!"

"THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING!"

"THAT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH EVERYTHING!"

The two men bickered back and forth, but Tails didn't seem to notice them. He blinked a bit. "I feel… better?" he asked himself.

Knuckles walked up behind his friend and put a hand on his shoulder. "Of course you do. You'll always feel better when you tell the world how you feel."

"Woah… you're right…"

The two stood there, taking in the sunlight, seemingly oblivious to the two men screaming obscenities at each other in the distance.

Author's Note: How's that for a quick update, Ebonite27? Thank you for the kind words. Next chapter might return to split perspectives, haven't decided yet. If not, then expect Cream & Charmy followed by Tails & Eggman. Thanks for reading my work, glad so many people enjoy it. Remember to read & review!