"Hiii, sorry I'm not free right now," the voice message played. "I'll call you back as soon as I can. Leave a message for me if you want to after the beep and I'll get back to you when I'm able. Catch ya later!"
Amy hung up just as the beep sounded, letting out a sigh of frustration. Cream hadn't answered her phone all week. It was unusual to say the least, but Vanilla reassured her she was alright and just taking some time off. Still, it didn't help ease her concerns. Nor did it help with the fact she desperately needed to talk to someone. Someone that wasn't her best friend, but still close to her.
Someone other than Tails.
She shook her head and tried desperately to clear her head. What she really needed to do was focus on her work. The new Team Sonic line had to be approved soon and put into production. She'd already met with everyone, got their approval, and finally gotten their measurements. She hadn't even started on her own outfit yet, figuring it would be the easiest to get out of the way.
It was becoming increasingly clear, however, that wasn't really the case. The concept art she'd shown her friends was, in all honest, something she had made last minute. Skater dresses weren't exactly her style, she just thought it would look cute. Looking back at her drawing, it seems to almost feel like a joke. She looks more like a punk than her normal demeanor. At the same time, maybe she could run with that. She wasn't too sure.
"Would Tails think I'm hot if I were more punk-ish?"
Amy's cheeks grew red as the thought crossed her mind, shaking her head violently to clear her head. She groaned in frustration. She'd just barely gotten over her feelings towards Sonic. No, she hadn't even done that much, if she was being totally honest with herself. Now here she was, falling for someone all over again. Why? Because he was nice to her? Because they'd become such close friends? Why?
"Maybe I've always felt this way. Maybe I was just too blind to see it."
There's no way that was true. It couldn't have been, right? The thought she had always had those feelings and never realized it didn't sit right. If that were true, why didn't she ever notice it? Why hadn't she ever thought of him as anything other than a friend?
"Because he didn't save you."
Except he had. Numerous times. He was almost always there by Sonic's side to save her in one way or another.
"Not the first time you were rescued."
That was different. Tails wasn't there. She wasn't even sure the two had met yet. There had to be some other reason than just that.
"He's not your hero. He's just your hero's sidekick."
He's more than that. So much more.
"You never wanted to settle for the sidekick. Somewhere deep down, you thought you were better than that. Now you've got choice."
SNAP!
The sound brought her back to reality. Amy looked down at her hand, only to see the pen she was holding cracked and snapped in half, blue ink leaking all over her glove. She rubbed her face with her other hand, embarrassed she had managed to get herself so worked up. Throwing her pen away, she reached into her desk for a new one. Scribbling on a note pad to make sure it works, her face turned to one of pure bafflement as orange ink spilled out onto the paper. She held up the pen to eye level and looked at in disbelief.
"Seriously?" she asked. "Now, of all times? Who the hell even makes orange ink for office pens, what?" Slamming the pen down on the desk, she looked out the window at what few stars she could make out through the blur of city lights drowning out the night sky. "I hope he's having a better time than me," she thought.
Brief sounds of fierce scribbling filled the air of the workshop corner of the hangar as the kitsune worked almost on autopilot. He wasn't even quite sure what he was looking at. A sketch, obviously. A really messy one at that. One of the planes, to be precise. The details didn't stick or even seem to register in his mind. The only thing that he saw was the paper. All he heard was the scribbling, followed by silence, then more scribbling again. It was methodical. Mechanical almost.
The door to the hangar opened. "Hey man you didn't come out for lunch and I figured you weren't gonna make dinner, so I picked up some Taco Bell while I was on a ru-"
Tails bolted out of his chair, picking a screwdriver off his desk and pointing it at the man in the doorway. "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!" He screamed.
"I PRACTICALLY LIVE HERE AT THIS POINT!" Knuckles screamed back.
"Oh, it you," the kitsune replied, calming down. "Don't sneak up on me like that, man," he sighed, turning back to his work.
"Yeah, uh, sorry…" the Echidna muttered.
Knuckles walked over to the desk and looked over the kitsune's shoulder. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"Designing a plane," Tails replied. "Apparently that's just what I do when I'm heartbroken. How does 'The One That Got Away' sound for a project title?"
The echidna placed his muscular hand on his friend's shoulder, gripping it tightly, causing the kitsune to stiffen up. "You're not a kid anymore, you're an adult. Act like one." The echidna let go and sat on the desk, looking at his friend. "Why do you think your chances with her are over?"
Silence filled the room. Tails stared down at his desk, avoiding his friend's gaze. "I blew it, alright?" he said at last. "It was the perfect setting, the perfect timing and I just- I didn't tell her. I wanted to, but I couldn't. I'm not gonna get that chance again."
Knuckles looked at him for a moment, before closing his eyes and exhaling lightly. "You got cold feet," he replied, "so what? That's natural. Do you know how many times I almost told Rouge I liked her? I had a lot of chances and missed them all for a good while. Of course, now I wish I hadn't told her, but that's a separate matter. You'll tell her sometime. Last night just want the time."
"But what if I never get the courage to? What if I keep freezing up like this? What if-"
"Oh, for the love of-" The echidna facepalmed in frustration. "She's a woman, not some god made of water from ancient times or a huge monster living in the center of the earth. Just speak to her and it'll come naturally. Why do you have to make this so difficult?"
Tails looked up at his friend. "Honestly? I've never been great with people. I always seem to annoy them by talking too much about my interests. That, or I don't follow the flow of conversations and stuff correctly. I overthink things a lot. All the time, actually. You guys are not only my closest friends, you're my only friends. The idea of screwing up things and making it awkward between us… I don't want that, you know?" He let out of a sigh of frustration. "I just… I was a difficult kid at times. I don't know how you guys put up with me sometimes. I guess I got lucky to meet a bunch of people as weird as me." Tails smiled a little, but it didn't last. "I don't want to lose that."
Knuckles put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Look man, even if you screw up bad with Amy, I'm not going anywhere. I doubt Sonic is gonna leave you either. Try not to overthink this stuff too much, alright?"
The kitsune nodded. "Alright, I'll try."
"Great!" The echidna jumped off the desk. "Now come inside, I got you some Doritos Locos tacos."
Tails stood up and followed his friend. "How did you know I like those?"
The echidna flashed a cheeky grin over his shoulder. "'Cuz you're a silly little kid."
"Man, screw you," the kitsune replied angrily, crossing his arms in protest.
Tails glanced back at the sketch on his work desk for a moment. "The One That Got Away, huh…" He shook his head and kept walking. "Maybe… 'Flying Rose' would suit it better.
As the two left the hangar, the piece of paper the kitsune was working on sat alone on the desk. The sketch depicted the same aircraft from various angles. A large-scale flying aircraft carrier, similar to Eggman's old air carriers, but radically different in design. It was a vehicle that would effectively work as a mobile flying base. A perfect machine for a time of war.
In these times of peace, it would be all but useless.
Author's Note: Another short one, sorry. Next one is the last Chaotix Crossover. I might put up a one shot story for Christmas, so follow me and keep an eye out for that. Thank you very much for all the support. I think we're coming close to the end here soon-ish. How soon waits to be seen. I have the confession seen pictured in my head and I think you'll all like it, but now isn't the time. Please be patient. Thank you, and happy holidays.