Our Side of the Mountain

Chapter 10

The sun was setting over the forest. Sonic was just setting dinner on the table.
"Tails! Dinner!"
"Coming!"
The little fox came skipping into the kitchen, smiling at the sight of the blue hero.
"You went all out, didn't you?" Tails asked.
Sonic smiled, reaching out to ruffle his bangs.
"I'll always go all out for you."
Tails smiled and leaned into the touch.
"And I'd go fast for you."
Sonic laughed and pulled the kit into a side hug.
"Go sit down! You gotta be hungry."
Tails nodded, suddenly just realizing how hungry he was. All those cookies had been good, but not filling. Tails gave Sonic one last loving nuzzle before departing to the table. Sonic grinned and sat down on the other side of the table. They tapped their water glasses together with a 'clink' and then began eating.
"So," Sonic began as he took a bite of his chili dog, "how's the inventing going?"
Tails sighed.
"It's hard without my lab...or my plane."
Sonic suddenly reached across the tabletop and grabbed Tails's hand, which was resting on the red tablecloth, and gripped it with his.
"We'll go home soon," he said, gently. "I promise. When I know it's safe, we'll fire up the baby and fly her straight home. Okay?"
"Okay!" Tails said, immediately cheering up.
Sonic smiled. He loved it when Tails was happy.
He never moved his hand.

Miles away, Eggman scoured every inch of the trees.
"They've gotta be here somewhere," he said in irritation. "They couldn't have vanished."
He looked back at Metal Sonic.
"Could they?"
"No, sir," Metal sighed, questioning the doctor's smarts. "They couldn't have."
But, in the robot's head, he was thinking the same exact thing.
Tails is brilliant, but he isn't a genius.
Yet.
Eggman suddenly turned his craft around, in the opposite direction the cabin was in.
"Let's head back home for tonight. We'll start here again in the morning."
Metal nodded, and sped off after his boss.

Tails piled the dishes into the sink. He wiped each of them carefully off with a sponge, and then set them in the dishwasher. He shut the door, and turned the dial for a cleanse. The washer whirred to life. Tails dried his hands off with a towel, and put his gloves back on. Tails's communicator suddenly buzzed, and he pressed a button to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Tails?" Came Cream's voice, sounding relieved. "Thank goodness. Where are you and Mr. Sonic?"
Tails decided to use Sonic's excuse.
"We're at the beach," he replied. "A little vacation."
"Oh..."
"Yeah...it's really nice."
Well, it wasn't totally a lie. But, it wasn't completely honest, either. The cabin was the nicest house he'd ever been in....next to the one they lived in back home.
"Will you be back soon?" Cream asked.
"Uh...." Tails began, but trailed off, "I dunno..."
"Ms. Amy's going nuts," the rabbit said. "She really misses Mr. Sonic."
No surprise there, Tails thought.
"Tails? You still there?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah! I'm still here."
Cream took a deep breath.
"Do you think that...when you get back...that we could go to the movies or something? Just you and me?"
Tails froze. Was she...asking him out?
He didn't know whether to feel guilty or not.
"Uh...." He began, hesitating.
The truth....was gonna hurt.
"Sorry...but I can't." He finally said.
"Oh, dear....why not?"
"Because...uh...Sonic says I'm not old enough to date."
"Oh...." The little rabbit said sadly.
"Yeah, sorry..."
"No," Cream said. "I-I understand...I-I'll talk to you later."
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye..."
Tails pressed a button, ending the call.
Boy, I feel like a jerk.
He heard a soft laugh and turned around. Sonic stood there, arms crossed, an amused smile on his face.
"I told you you weren't old enough to date? I'm basically just lying to myself."
Tails chuckled.
"Well....I had to say something to get her off my back."
"Well, yeah, but you didn't have to lie to her."
"Oh, you're one to talk! We're at the beach, Amy! It's soooo pretty!" Tails said, doing a imitation of Sonic's voice.
"Hey! My voice sounds nothing like that!"
"It's not my fault my voice is so high!"
Sonic grinned.
"Your voice is so cute, though."
Tails smiled and reached out to hug him.
"Thanks...yours isn't so bad either."
Tails released the hero, and started to walk towards the front door. He reached out to open it.
"Woah woah woah!" Sonic cried, running up to block the door. "Where you going?"
Tails smiled, and gently pushed him out of the way.
"C'mon. You gotta see this."
Sonic followed after him, hesitant. Tails suddenly grabbed his hand, and, spinning his two tails, he pushed off the ground. He landed them softly on the roof, and swept his hand out to the sky. Sonic's eyes went huge. There were trillions of stars, all bright and twinkly in the midnight blue horizon.
It was beautiful.
"Wow..." The hedgehog whispered. "I've never seen this many stars."
"Me neither," Tails said. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yeah....it's perfect."
Sonic put his arm around the fox's shoulders, and nuzzled his cheek into his head. Tails closed his eyes, and leaned into the the soft embrace.
Everything was all in a bliss.
Sonic was right.
It was perfect.
"Sonic?"
"Hm?"
"When....when did you first realize that you liked me?"
Sonic looked up at the sky, as if the answer was written in the stars.
"Well....I think I realized that day when we were looking for those Yetis, and you got kidnapped and robotized."
Tails was in silent shock. That day when he gave himself up to be trapped....was the day the blue blur fell for him, too.
"And then there was that other time," Sonic began, "that when we were at that Interstellar amusement park, and you pushed me out of the way of Eggman's alien energy beam."
Tails sighed.
"I remember that....it hurt, but I did it for you."
A shooting star suddenly swished by.
"Make a wish," Sonic said.
Tails closed his eyes, and did so. When he reopened them, Sonic asked,
"So? What'd you wish for?"
Tails smirked and leaned in further to the hug they were still in.
"You know exactly what I wished for."
Sonic smiled.
"I've got a pretty good feeling that I do. And how do I know that?"
"How?"
"Because, that's what I wished for too."