Box o'things: A short SonicxCJ story (outdated)

Box o'things

Sonic knocked gingerly on CJ's door and sighed to himself. In his hands he had an old cardboard box labeled "box o'things" on the side in black permanent marker. Inside the box was a mess of authentic aviator gear, a calendar and books about famous pilots.
"Yeah. I screwed up bad." He said to himself solemnly, as he stared at the box.
"...What?" CJ's angry voice answered.
"Hey. Ceej? It's me, Sonic." He said.
"...Go away. I don't want to talk to you." She replied curtly.
"Ceej, come on. I-I'm sorry! I didn't know your box was a private thing."
"I don't care! You betrayed me! You looked through my personal stuff. I never wanted anyone to see it. Might as well keep it, and tell everyone else 'bout it!" CJ yelled. Her tone sounded like she tearing up, something she almost never did in front of anyone.
Sonic grimaced at her words. She was right. He had betrayed her. She had opened up to him and almost no one else. He was the only one she trusted that much. Looking through her stuff, however, was a traitorous action in her opinion. Like her sisters Nyx and Uni, CJ had a high regard on trust and she dished out consequences to those who betrayed her sisters. To those who betrayed her...she wouldn't even look at them or speak with them ever again.
And he had ruined his friendship with her. Along with any chances he had wi—
'Whoa WHOA!! I did not just think that...did I?' He thought.
Never mind that. He had to fix this now. But how could he?
Maybe the answer was in the box. CJ had only said that there was a reason all that stuff was in that box, not just the common aviator theme. But what was it?
Moving his hands through the box, they eventually stumbled on something at the very bottom that wasn't like any of the books or aviator gear.
He picked it up and immediately the answer came to him.
"Ceej. Ceej, open up, please." He knocked even harder on the door, which surprisingly opened.

He peeked inside and found CJ. Her head was downcast, her wings weren't even folded like they were when she was sitting, and she had wrapped her arms around her knees, hugging then close as she sat on the floor, in front of her bunk bed, with her familiar, the winged dog Winona, resting on the bottom bunk right behind her.
Strange, how CJ had a bunk bed, but no one to take the bottom, since she usually slept on the top.
Regardless, she didn't even look at him. She was still angry.
Sonic stepped slowly to her, though Winona got up, and moved in front of CJ, trying to block him, and growling as he came close. Normally Winona was very sweet to him, but he had made CJ upset. Winona hated her mistress being upset.
"Easy, Winnie. I'm not here to cause damage. I swear." He said, hoping the dog was in a listening mode. Winona eyed him suspiciously, but let him through, keeping her green eyes on him.
Sonic stopped in front of the bed and  sat next to her.
"Hey." He said.
CJ kept her eyes hidden. She knew he wasn't going to leave until she was herself again. But she wasn't going to answer him.
"Listen I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't know that this box was special to you. But I know why."
CJ didn't glance over.
Sonic picked up the item he knew would no doubt give him his answer. "Is he the reason?"
CJ finally turned her head. There she could see it.
Sonic had found the very first item she had put in the box. A tri-picture frame.
The top photo was of a young man dressed in a fighter pilot's uniform who looked remarkably like CJ, down to the cocky smile and wild brown hair, though his eyes were not orange, instead a deep chocolate brown. Next to it, incased in the glass square was a Medal of Honor addressed to:

Arron Joseph Caldavar
For exceptional work in the field of aerial combat and navigation.

The bottom photo was of the same man, now older and wearing royal grabs, complete with a crown, sitting on a chair. On his lap, was a toddler girl with tiny pig tails, wearing green footies, and with a pair of grey wings, her orange eyes shining bright as she clung to an antique aviator's helmet.
CJ took the frame from Sonic and clutched it close to her chest, dropping something, an orb perhaps, from her lap. Tears started falling from her eyes as she quietly sobbed. Sonic pulled her into a tender embrace, a few tears managed to escaped from him as well.
"Yeah. This was why." She finally whimpered out.
Sonic cupped both of her cheeks and brought her face to his. Her eyes were lined with pink and he could tell she was still hurting.
"You still miss him, don't you?" He asked.
CJ's eyes filled up again. "I miss him every day. He left my life too early."
She buried her face in his chest. "He promised that he'd take me up in his old airplane when I was older...he-he said that he'd be there for my first big race..." her choking words grew louder. "H-H-He said that he'd be there every step of the way! HE PROMISED!!!!"
Her tears and words grew louder and louder until she was sobbing, soaking Sonic's peach skinned chest.
"DAD, WHY?! You didn't do anything wrong! You did nothing to no one!!!"
Sonic stroked CJ's hair until his own tears started to flow again.
"I-I-I...I'm a screwup...to him...to my sisters...everyone......" CJ whimpered quietly.
Sonic shook his head. He hated seeing her like this.
"No. You're not a screwup. You know your dad never wanted to break his promises. You've done a lot that I know he would've been more than happy to say, 'that's my CJ.' You're a great gal. And an even better friend." Sonic said, cringing slightly as he said friend.
CJ dried her eyes partially. "You really think so?"
"I don't think. I know he'd be proud of you." Sonic gave her a small reassuring smile. "And he is still with you. Right there." He said, pointing to the center of her chest.
CJ's tears still fell, but at least a sliver of a smile was on her face. "Thanks Sonic."
Sonic embraced her again, holding her tightly as she got the last of her now bittersweet tears out.

Eventually, she had cried herself to sleep. Not wanting to go back to his room without feeling like CJ still needed him, Sonic decided he'd crash in her room.
After locking her door and the window he picked CJ up and onto the lower bunk, rather than her usual place on the top. He climbed in next to her, knowing she'd understand if she woke up next to him that he only stayed so that she wouldn't be alone after her pouring out her feelings of anguish like that.
Sonic picked up the orb and studied it.
It had a date on it.

June 23, 20XX

That was his birthday.
CJ's as well, after all they were born on the same day and year. But this orb dated 1 year after their birthdate.
He knew this to be a time orb. They recorded anything that was deemed interesting.
Knowing that CJ had already forgiven him and he would eventually find out about this orb, Sonic opened it up and played back the events in it.

A toddler girl with wild brown hair in pigtails and a pair of grey wings ran into the room. Her orange eyes sparkled as she rushed toward a tall man with equally wild brown hair and brown eyes.
He smiled down at the toddler, picking her up.
"How's my little pilot?" He asked,
"I'm ready for the picture, Daddy!" She answered eagerly.
"That's my girl!" He chuckled.
He brought her in front of the camera.
"Here's my helmet, my little pilot." He said as he handed it over to her. "Remember, it's very old so be careful."
"Daddy?"
"Yeah, Flyby?" He answered.
"When I'm older, will you take me up in your old plane?" She asked.
"What? But FlyBy, you can fly on your own."
"I know." She said, tapping her fingers nervously together. "But I wanna know what being a pilot is like firsthand! Not just from my own experience." She said, pointing to her wings.
Her father blinked for a minute before he broke out into a huge grin.
"Alright, then! I'll take you up when you're five."
"Promise?" The girl asked, holding out her tiny little pinky.
He grasped it with his own. "I promise."
"Yay! I love you, Daddy!" She said, giving him a bear hug.
"I love you too, CJ."

I am not kidding when I say that I cried writing out CJ's confession of missing her dad.
I really did.
This is probably one of the saddest stories I've made in my life.
In case you forgot, CJ saying that her dad did nothing wrong was because he was murdered when she was 2 years old. Being half-Avian, she can remember things better than other full humans, including her father. Which is why it was traumatic for her, since she was there when he died.
I hope you guys enjoyed this.
~Authorchan