something didn’t sit well in the pit of his stomach. glancing into the eyes of a familiar fox yet the other seemed such a stranger. the clothing and almost astounding look of Eggman reverberating off of the boy was the first instinct that kept him heavily distanced. his temper was unstable when it came to the madman and his empire. and he was not above abusing it.

INBOX !

@moraltorn​ said: “ don’t talk about yourself like that . ”                                                 [ hurt / comfort starters ; accepting. ] 

       He hadn’t heard the footsteps approach, perhaps he’d been a little too lost in thought. It wasn’t a rare occurrence for him - his mind often wandered quite far when he was left alone. And often times when he wasn’t, too. This could be considered a prime example of that , though if he were being honest ... He would have preferred if no one overheard that. Let alone the young fox. Bitterness holds him tightly, remorse laying heavy on the tongue that spoke those thoughts allowed. It should have been me. None of this would have happened if...

       “ ... ” Silence. Though he spares the kit a glance. How long have you been standing there ? How much did you hear ? He wonders, bearings slowly returning to the hybrid along with a pang of guilt. Tails’ sentiment was not lost on him ( Chaos knew he’d tried his best not to succumb to the self hatred that had been instilled in him since his planet side arrival ever since starting therapy, though it was harder than he liked to admit. ) 

       Still it felt... wrong. Wrong for a child to have to be the one to tell him that. Dark eyelids flicker shut and he breathes a silent resigned sigh through his nose. You need a better example than this.

        “ ... I know. ” He murmurs, after a long pause. His arms drop to his sides, and he turns to face Tails properly. It was rare for the hedgehog to display such openness towards most, but... dishonesty had never been in Shadow’s character. And Tails was no little kid, there was no reason to talk down to him. “ I shouldn’t. It’s... very hard for me to not resent myself when I’ve done things I’m not proud of. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and other’s had to pay the price. They’ve every reason to not trust me. ” Another pause, he offers a somber look. You probably understand that feeling... don’t you?

         ❝   O-of course  — !!   ❞   The young girl tilts her head, clearly taken aback by choice of clothing. Not that it was bad or anything, just surprising is all. Perhaps it wasn’t best to ask questions, and to just follow him.  And so, she did just that.        Cosmo walks alongside him, her hands folded behind her back.   ❝   I...didn’t think I’d see you today.   ❞   She quietly mumbles, doing her best to make small-talk.  Something she’s clearly not good at.  Her comment wasn’t entirely wrong,  since she understands how busy the fox can be.  It was just strange how, out of all days,  He decided to visit on her BIRTHDAY. 

Prime Prompters || From Here

     “Well, neither was I until I tried to be one. Just because you do bad things doesn’t mean you have to continue to do them. People can change, I’ve seen it. It’s a lot less black and white than it might seem. I know I saw the world like that for a while, good guys and bad guys. But just as good people can do bad things, bad people can do good things. After that, it’s a matter of keeping up with those things you view as good.”

     Nobody was born a hero. And nobody was born a villain. It’s a fact his counterpart can’t seem to grasp. If he was content with where he was, he wouldn’t be so concerned with the other side. It ate him up to some extent, and those confines were only going to grip him tighter and tighter until they were acknowledged.

      Cosmo would let out a small, inaudible gasp upon realization of her current action. The girl always had a habit of getting lost into her own thoughts, and she couldn’t explain why but, Tails’ eyes had this sort of effect on her.  Nevertheless, she withdrew herself from his face, eyes glancing towards the ground. “ I-I’m sorry about that!  I’ve made things awkward again. ”       Their eyes would return towards the gift that was presented in front of them. Her curiosity was immediately piqued.  “  You didn’t have to do anything for me... ” The seedrian utters gently, her words trailing off at the end.  Tails worked hard on this ;  It would be rude not to accept, and so she does.

      Cosmo went speechless, she’d never given much consideration of how homesick she truly was. Sometimes she wonders how her home-planet was doing ; she could only pray that it’s thriving with new life of some kind. Maybe one day, she’ll visit it.

      ❝    I have tried to be,   ❞   Cosmo whispers, keeping their tone low.     ❝    … It feels like the universe refuses to forgive our past sins,   ❞   The young seedrian goes  quiet ,   her hands lie limp into the fox’s grasp.  Seemingly out of habit, Cosmo gives his hand a tight squeeze.  ( She trusts them.  They can be open with him.  Right? )    ❝    I've... hurt so many people, and caused others to get hurt because of my actions.  ❞   

      This wasn’t just limited to Sonic and her friends, or her family.  Many, many civilizations of numerous planets were  begging  for their planet to be saved too.  To no avail.   Sometimes, Cosmo wonders if she could’ve prevented it all.  

      Alas, It was pointless to think about it.  Some people just cannot be saved.  Some don’t return.  It’s just how it is.   Cosmo lets out a small sigh, but not before laying her head on their friend’s shoulder.  ❝    …Do you ever hear their voices, Tails ?  ❞ 

     “ 𝐈 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖. ”   The words were immediate, large eyes fixate towards the kitsune.  Her expression never changes.  It stays blank, not empty but not anxious.  " You can hurt me, yet you choose not to. ”  She nods, understanding how dangerous their relationship was.      The seedrian began to walk up to her friend, Perhaps too close. But, it didn’t matter. Cosmo gently kneels down in order to get a closer look at Tails’ face.  “ You never had to protect me. You could have let Shadow eliminate me. You could have removed the tracker without a second thought.  Yet you didn’t.  Your intentions on that are still...confusing to me.  You could have never taken care of the seed Sonic had given you. You could have never let me return to your planet. Yet you did.”       A soft pause ensued, “ …You’ve made your choices && I've made mine. No matter how bad you hurt me, I will not regret my decision. I will always stand by your side. ”  The Seedrian sighs, allowing her palm to rest onto his.  “ I am your friend because I like you.  Must there really be more to it than that ? ”