Allies (Tails x Reader) Book 2

Pt8. Mutual Interest

The day progressed quietly, after 'waking up' you acted none the wiser while you and Tails talked over the plan for the next few days. You elected to wait one more day before diving underwater so that the two of you could strip some moss off the walls and fashion a makeshift cushion on the hard rocks, plus it would help you dry off after. The sun grows dim in the sky as you both work, laying down enough moss to make sleeping patches for either of you. You sit down after the long day and take a food pill each, testing the water in the cave and thankfully it seemed to be clean... Well more or less. You could taste the guck in it but it had enough flow somewhere along it's path to naturally filter it enough for your stomachs not to hurt.

Tails pokes at his makeshift bed idly, "East.. Can I ask you something?" His tone seemed to get a little distant.

You perk up, looking over at him neutrally, "What is it, fox?"

He hesitates to look up as he continues, "Can I ask why you hate heroes so much? It's alright if you don't want to answer I just... Well... Amy and Knuckles told me about how during the fire on South Island a few months back you ran back inside a burning building to save a random kid's parents."

You raise your brows, that felt so long ago you had already forgot all about it.

"It's not that I think you wouldn't, but I just- Well it was sorta heroic of you to do something like that... at least I think so.. I thought you wanted to keep your distance more with stuff like that." Tails kept his voice low, a pensive apprehension in his demeanor.

You lean back on your hands, "To be honest I viewed it as a waste. Eggman didn't need to murder the kid's parents to take control of the island. The Resistance fighters, sure. Your friends, absolutely. But the innocent people didn't do anything to usurp his command." You think back to the day it happened. You know that at some point you were struggling to get yourself out alive with the parents but you couldn't remember what made you keep them slung over your back...

Tails raises his eyebrows, "Oh- I see... So, do you look at things more like a business transaction all the time? That seems pretty lonely."

You tilt your head to the side, your gaze locking onto the moss, "It's what I'm used to, so I guess I never really thought about it like that. It's normal for me." You pause for a moment, an innate curiosity rising up in you that you try to fight off but fail to as your question slips out... "Why do you save people? Why try so hard for a bunch of people that don't even know who you are?"

He looks to you with a sad expression, "Well because everyone deserves a fair chance to have a happy life. If I stood by with all my talents and chose to just use them for personal gain then how could I ever even say that I have any genuine feelings? Don't get me wrong I love building and learning and tinkering but it would be so much emptier without people that I care about, and those people were strangers at some point too..."
It's what they're used to? That's so sad....

You laugh bitterly to yourself, "Maybe that's why I don't have friends."
Your gaze hardens...
No that wasn't why... It was because they always only made things harder. They always ruined everything...

Tails looks at you with a vacant tinge behind his eyes. "What about your crew? They shot us out of the sky so they're at least reliable, right?"

"My crew..." Your mind traces over them.
Ava was always super noisy and nosy but she had a good heart, she cared about everyone on the ship and wasn't afraid to say so when she needed to..
Jasper was quiet and stupidly timid but he was street smart and followed your command to the letter. He was never much for talking about his life but he was always willing to show you something cool he had found...
Viper was quiet and mysterious, you could never tell what they were thinking but they always followed you with devotion and never deviated from your plans. They never questioned you either, even when you knew they disagreed..