Chapter Text
He had only himself to blame for this.
Miles sighed, bent over his desk, the coppery taste of his torn cheek still thick on his tongue as he stared numbly at the circuitry in his fingers.
The computer pinged again. Another message from Cream. There were fourteen now.
Three from Rouge.
All unread.
Miles pushed the panel shut, fastening screws by hand before pressing the button with his thumb.
Maybe if he just didn't read them he could pretend everything was still alright for a little while? He could skip past people explaining his failings when he already knew what they were perfectly well, and just go straight to the bird armies and isolation. Fitting punishment for someone like him forgetting his place, in the end. Just desserts for thinking, for even a moment, that he could be something more.
A yellow and blue cylinder smashed into the table. Miles screamed as the lid jarred open from the impact, spraying superheated liquid across his face. He groped blindly at the desk to tap another button, and a ring monitor exploded into his head a moment later. He blinked reformatted eyelids as the ring reaction repaired all of his injuries but left the pain.
This was fine. He wiped wet off his cheeks. The payload was still hot enough to melt skin, but… He wiped his cheeks once more. A bad result was… he kept wiping. It just wouldn't stop.
Miles buried his face in his tails, heaving sobs wracking his body as he dropped his head to the table, heedless of the still hot liquid splashed across its surface. The world's most worthless, most stupid, only fox.
The door of his workshop clicked open, sometime after he'd had no more tears to give. Soft footsteps tapped against the metal floor, drawing close. Miles poked one weary blue eye out from his tails to stare up at those green eyes looking down at him.
"Hey, little buddy." Sonic crouched down beside him. "You doing okay?"
"Got burned pretty bad. My fault. Don't want you to see me cry." Miles burrowed back into his fluff, swallowing drily. "How was your date? Did you... tell her how you feel?"
"Well, not exactly." Sonic grinned awkwardly. "She, uh, kinda stood me up. I was out there waiting all night." He scratched his cheek. "Maybe that's what she wanted to do the whole time? Can't blame her I guess."
He laughed.
Miles flinched.
He'd ruined everything.
"Cheer up, Tails. You always have a few hiccups before getting things perfect, right?" Sonic winked. "Just think how many planes you've crashed."
"Hah. Really makes me feel better, thanks, Sonic." Miles tightened his arms around his tails.
A hand pressed down on his head.
"It should, because you're one of the best pilots around, and it's because you crashed all those times."
"Pretty sure that doesn't logically follow, Sonic."
"Anyway." Sonic's expression turned serious. "Eggman managed to grab the last Chaos Emerald last night. He's powered up that nether drill thing of his and he's already taken over Soleanna with it. You up to saving the world with me, little buddy?"
Miles sighed, raising his fist. Sonic bumped his own against it.
"You know it, Sonic. Let's go."
"Never doubted you for a second, Tails. I'll be at the plane, come on out when you're ready."
Sonic zipped out of the door, and Miles pushed himself up, flicking cold moisture from his tails as he grabbed some tools and headed out.
A chime pinged from his computer.
A pink icon, a single message.
Miles hesitated, halfway to the door, staring at the screen, biting his lip.
And then he turned and walked out of the door.
Like a good little shadow.