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“Are we there yet?”
“Nope! Just a little longer.”
It was the fifth time Sonic gave him that exact reply—he was starting to sound like some sort of automated voicemail message.
The two of them had been out and about for several hours, since Sonic insisted that there was a really cool spot he just had to bring Tails to. And Tails, the clueless fool, had agreed to go with him, because spending time with Sonic, naturally, sounded like a fantastic idea.
The fox was under the impression that they had gotten lost by now, but seeing as the hedgehog’s confidence hadn’t diminished in the slightest, he was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for a while longer.
Even if they truly turned out to be threading down the wrong path, Tails wouldn't be all too bothered. That was another of the reasons why he hadn't bothered to speak up on the matter just yet.
He could hardly find something to complain over. The weather was peaceful, the dusk provided them with enough light source to keep on safely advancing—and Sonic’s hand was very warm around his, the hold firm and loving.
The longer they took to reach their destination, the longer they'd spend in this calm. It wasn't so bad.
Maybe Tails was acting like a lovestruck buffoon. Nobody in their right mind would find any positives to getting lost in the middle of nowhere.
He was far too content to care, though.
It had been months since they'd gotten together, yet Tails’ heart still skyrocketed whenever Sonic linked their arms or kissed the top of his head. The novelty hadn't worn off at all; he found himself looking forward to any affection Sonic gave him, and lucky for him, his partner had plenty to offer.
The fact they'd been taking a slow-paced walk, when speeding from one place to another was Sonic’s trademark feature, was proof of how Sonic was taking the relationship seriously, in his own way.
He could've just as easily sprinted the whole time, and Tails wouldn't have had trouble keeping up with him, but he'd actively chosen not to. As if he also wanted to bask in the time he spent with Tails, giving them an excuse to make it last longer.
He was a very sweet boyfriend, just as much as he was a wonderful best friend. Tails was really fortunate to have him as both!
Some part of him struggled with accepting it, frankly, seeing as it seemed a little too good to be true. Not to mention he still hadn't figured out how Sonic came to like him, to begin with—the right time to pursue that conversation never seemed to come.
But those problems were his own personal insecurities to fight against. Tails wouldn't let them spoil the day.
“We’re almost there,” Sonic's voice shooed those thoughts away.
That was a different line from before, which caught Tails’ attention. Maybe they'd made some significant progress?
As far as he could see, however, nothing had changed. No notable new landmarks or pathways. The landscape was still the same plain, green, endless prairie.
What, exactly, were they getting closer to?
“Are you sure? At this rate, we’re gonna have to set up camp for the night,” Tails sighed, leaning his head on Sonic’s side as a cool breeze stirred his fur.
“No worries, I'll run us back,” Sonic smiled at him, watching him warmly for a second, before turning his eyes back to the road. “I think it was right around here…”
Tails attempted to follow his gaze, hoping to be helpful in some way, even if he didn't know what they were looking for.
“I don't really see anything, Sonic,” he said. “There’s grass, more grass, some taller grass further away…?”
Sonic's eyes lit up.
“That’s it! Thanks, Tails!”
Without waiting for a reply, he sped up the pace, turning their walk into a light jogging. Confused, albeit admittedly curious, the fox followed his companion along.
As they edged closer to the patch of ‘taller grass’ he had glimpsed in the distance, Tails realised that his initial assumption was mistaken.
It was impossible to tell from afar, with their limited visibility, but what he'd sighted was actually a sunflower field. And what a huge one it was! With rows and columns of sunflowers lined up as far as the eye could see, it seemed like a plant army had decided to settle down in this patch of land.
The flowers were all facing the opposite side, petals turned towards the sunset sky in perfect sync, which made them look like plain bushes, from their current angle. While the magnitude of the field was still impressive, the sight itself wasn't anything to write home about.
Tails had no doubt that the flowers would look beautiful at dawn, though. If they were feeling adventurous enough to cross to the other side, they could even try to sneak a glance at the open blossoms before the sun settled completely.
“I guess I ended up dragging the trip a little too long,” Sonic said, the hint of disappointment in his voice covered up with a relaxed smile.
“Is this the ‘cool spot’ you wanted to show me?” Tails asked, for confirmation, earning a nod from Sonic.
“Yep. And I know what you're thinking. It's just your average sunflower field, what's so special about it that I had to drag you out to see it?”
He hadn't thought about that at all, since he was quite pleased by simply getting the chance to go on an outing with Sonic.
Now that he pointed it out, however, it did strike Tails as rather strange.
“Yeah, I’m a little curious,” he replied, his brain already trying to come up with theories to explain the oddity. “The size is remarkable, but I doubt you brought me here just for that.”
“Believe it or not, this place is very important to me,” Sonic said, in complete seriousness, which got Tails to tilt his head in conspicuous disconcertment.
“Huh, really?”
He took another thorough look at the plants, sadly still failing to understand how they held any significance. No matter how much he stared at them, they truly were just regular, run-of-the-mill sunflowers.
“Really,” Sonic insisted.
And he provided no further explanations, despite knowing Tails was curious about his declaration. How cheeky!
“Alright, I’ll bite, since you clearly want me to,” Tails let out a low chuckle. “Tell me, Sonic, what’s up with this place?”
It was a clear invitation to talk. Tails expected an immediate reply, but Sonic took a second to think of his words, falling into a pensive state.
Now Tails was genuinely intrigued.
“Well… This is where I noticed I liked you,” he finally said, scratching his cheek in bashfulness.
Out of all the things Sonic could have said, that was the one reveal Tails would have never predicted in the slightest.
Seeing his flabbergasted reaction, Sonic ended up laughing. It was unfairly difficult to keep a serious mood when Tails looked so surprised.
“Hey, you wanted to know, right?” He grinned. “I bet it sounds weird. We’ve never been here together until now… I found the spot all on my own, months ago,” he explained, taking a glance at the vegetation spread beyond his feet.
He then took a few steps ahead of Tails, pausing right in front of one of the tallest plants.
Even though there was nothing particularly breathtaking about the scenery, it was oddly charming to watch every flower continue to try to find its way to the sun. They bent and swayed towards the unreachable light, despite being rooted into the earth, unable to take a single stride that would push them closer to their goal.
They looked somewhat lonely. Tails couldn’t help feeling that way.
It was a nonsensical thought, but for just a second, as he stood against the backdrop of the evening sky and the sunflower field, all on his own… Sonic looked lonely, too.
In that moment, he turned around lightly, to meet his companion’s gaze, as if he knew that Tails’ eyes and thoughts had never left him the entire time.
And he gave Tails another smile—a rather sheepish grin, his expression filled with nostalgia and a wistful hint of longing.
“As soon as I stumbled into this field, I thought it’d be nice to show you. It’s pretty.”
Seeing nature growing peacefully was one of the many reasons they kept fighting for, so Tails could appreciate the kind of beauty that came from the sight of a thriving land.
He was, indeed, glad that Sonic had decided to show it to him. Even if it had apparently taken him months to get around to it, for whatever reason.
“I wanted to go look for you right away. But then, I started thinking about how many times this would happen from now on,” Sonic continued, face growing downcast. “Once you left, no matter how many beautiful things I found… I wouldn’t be able to share them with you anymore.”
Oh. That was the reason, then.
Nobody enjoyed coming back to places that held unpleasant memories for them.
The realisation had been painful for Tails—it must have been painful for Sonic, too. The knowledge that being far apart from each other would mean life, as they knew it, was inexorably bound to change.
Distance didn't mean they'd have no contact. They could always text, call or send pictures, of course; they could look into the night sky and trace the same constellations with their fingers; they could think of each other as they stared at the sun, the moon and the stars.
But things wouldn’t be the same. They'd be split apart until they reunited. And even then, a reunion would be bittersweet if all that might follow it was another farewell.
“It’s kinda funny,” Sonic concluded, still smiling, despite the vulnerability shining in his gaze. “Something so simple made me realise I didn’t want you to go.”
Tails understood immediately, a surge of compassion towards Sonic welling up inside him.
“And that was when…” he trailed off, a faint blush blooming on his cheeks.
Even though he didn't manage to finish the question, Sonic understood it perfectly, too.
“Mhm. That was when I understood how I really felt about you.”
There was no trace of hesitation in his voice. It was a simple acknowledgement of the truth, the confident words bringing warmth to Tails’ chest.
That was months ago. Months ago, huh?
Was it ever since the idea of separation loomed above their heads, like an ominous threat on the horizon? Was it from the very moment he stepped onto this sunflower field, Tails’ absence weighing on him more than he could bear?
Or, maybe, had Sonic felt this way for even longer than that…?
“I say that, but it actually took me a while to handle it,” Sonic confessed, in a rather pitiful tone. “I didn't even know if these feelings were right to have.”
Before he noticed it, Tails had rushed forward to close the gap between him and Sonic, placing a hand on the hedgehog’s cheek.
“Of course they're right,” he mumbled, almost saddened that Sonic had any reason to think otherwise. “What’s wrong with loving someone?”
The simple question made Sonic pause. His reaction was a mix of contemplation and hesitation, both emotions acutely present in his face.
“It’s hard to explain everything that was going through my head back then,” he admitted, sporting a sheepish smile.
Tails’ gut feeling told him there was something more to it, but he knew better than to press.
If he gave Sonic time, maybe he'd be more willing to talk—just like he had, eventually, been willing to show Tails the place where he fell for him.
For now, this was more than enough.
“It’s okay,” Tails mumbled, patting Sonic comfortingly. “You accepted your feelings in the end. That's what matters, right?”
“And then you returned them,” Sonic replied, eyes softening as he recalled the memory of his confession. “How cool is that, seriously?”
“You’re easy to like, Sonic,” Tails said, noticing how the words brought a slight red tint to his cheeks. “And you made me understand how much I didn't want to leave you, either. So… thanks.”
“Don’t thank me,” he complained, although the corners of his lips were still tugged upwards. “If anything, we should both be grateful to this sunflower field!”
“That’s so like you,” Tails chuckled, shaking his head helplessly. “But I guess you're right.”
Who could have known that these flowers had had a hand in them getting together? They were the evidence that the simplest things could cause ripples on the surface. Like the theory of the butterfly effect, in a way.
He gave a silent thank you to the plants, if only to honour his partner’s silly wishes.
“Let’s come back here next year, too,” Tails said, nuzzling into Sonic’s side.
Next year was a promise quite far into the future. It was the best reassurance he could give that he fully intended to stay by Sonic’s side as much as he could.
There was no need for Sonic to worry about him leaving anymore. From now on, this place should only have happiness associated with it; it suited the nature of the sunflowers much better.
His words and gentle affection seemed to do the job of getting his feelings across, for Sonic smiled and rested his head against Tails’, basking in the other’s warmth.
“Yeah… Let’s. But we should hurry up next time—I want us to get to watch the flowers together.”
Giving up the romantic stroll so that they could see the sunflowers at their prime was quite a fair compromise. Especially since Tails could tell the gesture meant a lot to Sonic.
“Sure. Sounds nice,” Tails happily voiced out his agreement.
At that, Sonic let out a content sigh, wrapping one of his arms around Tails to pull him closer.
“You’re the best. You know that?”
The unexpected praise made Tails grow a little flustered. He tried to play it cool, regardless.
“Thanks, but you're the best, Sonic.”
“Let’s leave it at we're the best. Together,” he winked, cracking a smile out of Tails.
Now that was a conclusion neither of them could argue against.