A blue hedgehog, Sonic, was running around the Mystic Ruins when he had decided to pay a visit to his best friend Tails, whose workshop happened to be nearby.
"Hey, Tails! You there?" Sonic asked, knocking on the door.
After few seconds, Tails finally opened the door with a smile.
"Hi, Sonic." Tails greeted.
"Hey, Tails." Sonic responded.
He then stepped inside, looking around the room.
The workshop was a little messy, but Sonic assumed that Tails was just working on a big project.
"So, what's up, buddy?" Sonic asked "What are you doin'?"
"Oh, I'm just putting some upgrades on the Tornado 2." Tails answered "What have you been up to?"
"Same as always." Sonic replied with a shrug "Anything else new I should know about?"
"W-Well... Maybe..." Tails said nervously.
"'Maybe'?" Sonic asked playfully "What does 'maybe' mean?"
Tails let out a sigh.
"Promise you won't tell anyone?" He asked.
"Of course, Tails." Sonic agreed "If it's important to you that no one knows, then I won't tell a soul."
"W-Well... I, uh..." Tails stuttered, starting to turn red "I-I like Cream."
"Tails, come on... Is that all you're worried about?" Sonic asked "Dude, you single-handedly stopped Eggman from bombing an entire city; this is nothing for you!"
"Sonic, those two situations are not even remotely comparable." Tails pointed out "And it's not like you and Sally where you've known each other for a long time; I've only known Cream for, like, a year."
"I..." Sonic tried to argue "...fair enough. But, still…"
"Can you please just keep it a secret?" Tails asked, his face almost completely red "It's just... well, it's kind of embarrassing…"
"Tails, you don't have anything to be embarrassed about." Sonic assured "Hell, when I first realized I liked Sally, I was a mess inside, even if I didn't show it."
Tails looked down and smiled slightly.
"Thanks, Sonic." He finally said "I appreciate it."
He stood up straight and rubbed his head, still slightly blushing. Sonic laughed lightly.
"No problem, dude." Sonic said, still laughing a little.
"So, has Amy given up, or is she still chasing after you?" Tails asked.
"To be honest, I don't know." Sonic admitted "You're the first one I decided to check up on after I came back."
"Well, regardless, she does need to give up, eventually. It was one thing when you were single, but now that you're with Sally, it's just kind of weird." Tails said "And it doesn't help that you've never told her that you don't like her that way."
"That's true." Sonic agreed "But if I tell her, I could just end up making things worse."
"Probably." Tails agreed "Still though, maybe if you told her that, she'd understand."
"Yeah, I guess." Sonic said doubtfully.
"Anyway, don't you think there's someone else you should talk to?" Tails asked, a smug look forming on his face "Someone whose name starts with an S?"
"Oh, shi- er, shoot, you're right!" Sonic realized, panicking slightly "Uh... See ya!"
And, with that, Sonic left.
"Haha... All that time together, and he still thinks Sally's gonna be pissed..." Tails let out, laughing a little "Then again, he also thinks I still have a problem with people swearing near me."
Sonic was running through the streets of Station Square, as it was the fastest route to the place that Sally usually was. On the way, he was stopped by the familiar face of Amy Rose.
"There you are, Sonic!" Amy exclaimed, both excited and exhausted "I've finally found you!"
"Not now, Amy..." Sonic said, trying to hide his frustration "I need to go see someone."
"Wait, is something wrong?" Amy asked, concerned "Who are you looking for?"
"It's Sally; I need to let her know I'm back." Sonic answered.
"I... I see." Amy responded, failing to mask the hint of disappointment in her voice.
Suddenly, Tails' words sounded off in Sonic's mind.
"Maybe if you told her that, she'd understand."
And, all at once, Sonic knew what he had to say.
"Look, Amy..." He began, hoping that he wouldn't come across to harshly "It's no secret at this point that you like me; you've made that painfully obvious."
Amy looked away, feeling embarrassed.
"Sonic, I..." She started.
"I care about you, and I don't want to hurt you, but..." Sonic continued "I don't feel the same way. Sally isn't just your 'romantic rival', or whatever you see her as. She's the person I love."
Amy was quiet for a moment, a look of contemplation on her face.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She finally asked.
"That was my mistake..." Sonic admitted "At first, it was kinda fun, but, after a while, it started to become uncomfortable. I figured you'd eventually realize I wasn't interested, but... I suppose not..."
Silence was all that followed.
"...I'm sorry..." Was all that Sonic said before he left.