Chapter Text
Tails’ legs were struggling to keep up now, even though he knew Sonic was going easy. His hand continued to grip the others as tight as he could. His feet padded across the field, tall grass brushing his knees, small blue flowers—forget-me-nots, maybe? Tails couldn't tell in the rush of the moment. Even the wind seemed to be pushing them forwards.
Another breathless giggle escaped the fox as he tugged himself forward, just so he'd be able to tuck himself closer into the blue hedgehog's side. The light blue hoodie—one the blue blur had outgrown a long time ago (a detail Tails didn't care to notice) seemed to hang off the figure almost perfectly, even though he could only see his brother's back. The rustling of grass and leaves filled the air like a soothing song.
Tails’ cheek brushed against the fabric as another laugh bubbled out of his chest, the urge to tell the older boy to slow down starting to roll off his tongue– but that's when his grip on his hand started slipping. Just a little at first, not enough to cause concern or even notice, then more and more.
Tails was stumbling to keep up now. His hand seemed to no longer be able to tighten its grip—any attempt to do so met with trembling fingers trying desperately to curl into the bigger palm. The wind was starting to blow harder now, in the opposite direction they were running in.
Tails tried desperately to cling to Sonic's gloved fingers. He couldn't, no matter how hard he tried…he just couldn't. It felt like all strength had been sucked out of his limbs. Even his legs were starting to weigh him down. And eventually, the hedgehog's fingers slipped out of his grasp, and time seemed to slow.
“Sonic..!” His voice came out meek and lacking strength, like his lungs refused to expand enough for it to be louder than a whisper.
Something hit the front of his shoe. Something solid. The warm world tilted as Tails crashed to the ground. Half of his weight landed on one of his tails, and the wind was knocked out of him as he felt the rough ground press into his body, small rocks scratching at his cheek.
He forced his eyes to snap back open, even through the cloud of dust from the impact of his fall. He could taste it on his tongue.
The wind seemed to slow once more, lulling the tall grass into going back to swaying softly. Sonic had stopped, slowing down with his back still turned to Tails— of course he had stopped. Sonic always slowed down for Tails. His brother would never leave him behind.
“Sonic…” Tails managed to breathe. His voice still didn't come out as more than a whisper, but his limbs managed to cooperate just enough for him to be able to push himself up onto his elbows.
Tails sucked in a breath of relief, his eyes widening with the smile on his face as he scrambled to get up on his feet to not keep his brother waiting. Except, the sky was starting to grow duller– like a shadow being cast, a cloud passing overhead maybe?
Tails only really noticed that the wind had stopped when the distance between him and the hedgehog started to grow. The world seemed to stretch as he got further and further away. The fox's knees seemed to lock in place as his eyes darted around, tails curling in close as his breath hitched again.
Everything started to grow redder, like the world around them was being put through a filter. Tails couldn't bring himself to look up— or anywhere that wasn’t straight at the hedgehog standing at the end of the path the grass had parted to make between them. But he could still make out the deep shade of red the sky had turned.
The hedgehog slowly turned to him. Everything felt blurry and dizzy and nauseatingly unclear and— and… he couldn't make out his face no matter how much he tried or squinted…couldn't make out Sonic's face. It was like staring at a blank canvas with blurry squiggles–but that can't be right. It wasn't right! He would never forget his brother's face… he couldn't.
The world was stretching again. Each time he looked down, the distance between him and the figure— starting to grow more and more unrecognizable— grew. His hands trembled as they tried to reach out, his chest quivering with each breath he couldn't suck in. Details seemed to blend as tears pricked the corner of his eyes, and his throat finally—finally— managed to squeeze out something.
“Don't go—please… Don't go…”
Tails stirred with a soft grumble, the crack in the blinds was just large enough to let in the sunlight, hitting his damp and slightly red eyes (both from sleep and tears) head on. The fox groaned, rolling over onto his side (already feeling how sore his neck and back was), and tugging his twin Tails closer over himself, the blanket was most definitely on the floor.
It was odd, he was never that much of a restless sleeper. That was always Sonic… Sonic. The fox sighed after a moment, reaching a hand up and wiping at his eyes. He had fallen asleep in his clothes from yesterday. God, he felt like such a mess, a pang of hunger clawing at his stomach, but he pushed it back along with any lingering thoughts about the dream.
He eventually did sit up and stretch, with a few soft pops from his joints. He let his socked feet hang off the edge of the bed. Everything felt so quiet, other than the distant sound of birds chirping outside. Sunlight was peaking through and softly illuminating and bouncing off the furniture in the room. It looked so peaceful, if it weren't for the dread pooling in his chest.
He'd almost gotten used to the feeling, with how every waking moment felt plagued with it. Tails glanced at the bedside table, half open. He knit his brows at the sight of crumbs and miscellaneous items he could already spot at the bottom, as he pulled it open. There it was.
Slightly crumpled and worn at the edges, but it was there, of course it was. A picture— not even an actual one, just a picture taken from Sonic's phone that the hedgehog had printed and cut out, the ink not the best quality and definitely not long lasting. A stark difference to the neatly photographed version of the same image Tails had on his corkboard.
The fox snorted to himself as he reached in and picked it up. It was the two of them, the sun had started setting when it was taken, which is why it looked like it was put through one of those old-timey photo filters, both of them in school uniform, a drink in Tails’ hand, and Sonic’s signature grin aimed at the camera.
Tails ran his thumb over Sonic's face, carefully, as if he was scared the ink would smudge if he pressed down too hard. The unconscious smile that had etched itself onto the fox's face faltered.
“Where are you..?” he muttered, as if the world would finally relent and give him an answer.
The boy sighed and placed it back on top of the other items in the drawer. He paused—before closing it again. He got up, stretching one last time, a yawn bubbling up in his throat as he made his way over to the window next to the bedside table. His mind seemed to wander as he pressed a hand against the glass.
Any train of thought starting to form was cut off, though, when he heard the distant sound of an incessant ringing somewhere in the house… crap—his phone.
After a bit of searching around, he found it, digging through his jacket he had discarded at the front door last night. Flipping the screen towards himself, his thumb shifted away to see the caller ID. Amy. He let his shoulders slump with a shaky breath and answered, holding it up to his ear.
“Hello?” he asked, hesitant and a tad worried.
_
He struggled, trying to tug his shoes and jacket on at the same time, nearly falling flat on his face as he rushed out the door. His shoelaces were only half tied; he probably hadn't even locked the door, with how much his fingers had been shaking.
“He's back…” was all he needed to hear over the line to have the air out of his lungs sucked out. Amy's voice was steady, but urgent on the other end of the line.
He almost fell flat on the pavement more than once, scrambling down streets and firing rapid apologies at people he kept almost bumping into. His mind was racing more than ever, lungs burning, and legs feeling like they could buckle any second, but he kept going and didn't slow down as he made his way to the station.
His breath hitched in after what felt like weeks, a rush of relief when he turned the corner and spotted the police station. Tails finally let his pace slow, making his way across the small parking lot, tails swishing behind him nervously. He stopped in front of the glass door, smudged and scratched text, and the entire bottom half of the door an opaque glass, seemed to loom over him.
His chest tightened as his hand paused halfway to the metal handle. His heart felt like it was repeatedly banging against his skull, he was scared. Scared at what he'd have to confront. His brother was here, he reminded himself, strengthening his resolve and grabbing the handle. Sucking in a breath, he finally pushed the door open.
The fluorescent light blinded him for a moment. Standing in the doorway, he hesitantly shuffled inside, the door closing behind him with a soft click—softer than he was bracing himself for. A man, who seemed to be in his late forties, casually walked past him to the water cooler tucked into the corner near one of those cheap potted plants meant to make the place look less dingy.
Tails perked up when he heard the distant chatter down the hall. It was vague, but he could make out the voices. His heart leaped again at the familiar tone of one of them, as he had to awkwardly side-step the older man getting water to avoid brushing against him.
He jogged his way down and turned, only to freeze. His eyes landed on the group. An officer, the man's dull blue hat tipped low as he nodded along to Shadow’s gestures. The darker-furred hedgehog seemed impatient, but trying to keep his composure. Amy’s eyes were red, likely from crying. Tails couldn’t make out what she was saying, but she had her hands gripping—Sonic. Sonic—his eyes looked sunken and his figure overall less lively, but it was HIM. It had to be—
He took a step forward, and everyone’s gaze flickered to him. He didn’t wait to see the expressions on their faces; his legs moved before his mind did. Everything crashing down at once—sleepless nights, pacing around for hours, sleeping in a cold bed—tears he'd spent countless hours holding back were already pricking his eyes by the time he crashed into Sonic’s chest, arms immediately hooking around the older boy’s waist as a shaky sob escaped the fox’s throat.
He buried his face so deep into the fabric, it looked like he wanted to crawl into the hedgehog’s skin. Sobs continued to heave out of Tails. No words or anything other than his turmoil spilled out, as his hands curled and tugged onto Sonic’s rough sleeves, holding on so tight his knuckles shook. It looked like he was ready to climb him. His tails were just about wrapped around both of them.
His whole body shook with sobs and hiccups, every other chatter fading into background noise. He knew they were still talking, but the only thing ringing in his ears was the sound of his own hiccups and sobs, and the headache from going breathless so fast didn't help. He felt an arm loosely wrap around his back in return, and another softly stroking his head.
Familiar gloved fingers gently pushing back his locks and smoothing out his fur—gentler than they had ever felt—as Tails continued to press his face so deep into Sonic’s chest, Amy was afraid he couldn’t breathe, his shoulders still shaking with every shaky sob and loud hiccup.
Tails doesn't really remember what happened after that. His legs gave out at some point. He can deduce that much, considering Sonic's arm was now hooked under both of his knees. The fox's face still buried in the hedgehog's damp shirt—considering how soaked it probably was, "wet" might have been the better word.
His ears briefly perked up the third time medical attention was mentioned, only to get smoothed back down by a gloved hand when Sonic spoke again, his chest vibrating against Tails’ cheek.
“Like I said, I feel fine… there's no need. I'll just…” A pause, his voice smooth and steady as he pulled up Tails a little higher. “Get home and rest up.”
“You look like shit,” he heard Shadow cut in bluntly.
“Which is why I need my own bed,” Sonic drawled, not missing a beat. His hand still tangled in Tails’ locks.
Tails zoned out again after that, gradually loosening his grip on the hedgehog's clothes—just a little. The fox’s legs were starting to get uncomfortable from how they were tucked against his brother. He was probably a little too big now to be carried for this long, but he didn't care, not now.
“I'll come with you,” Amy insisted, her voice still tinged with the tremble of worry, but it was obvious she wasn't budging.
Tails peeked his head back up again once the morning air brushed against his fur. The parking lot was still empty, and it was truly starting to sink in how early it was. The glimpse of Amy's red cardigan (clearly thrown on in a hurry). He was reminded that he was a little underdressed, tucking himself closer into soiled clothes to avoid the shiver threatening to run through him.
“Ya good, bud?” Sonic hummed, the hedgehog's grip tightening.
“I could ask you the same thing…” Tails finally scoffed, lightly, tone just a little playful as everything seemed to bubble up again. “You disappear on me—on all of us! And come back looking like—” the fox paused, taking a moment to lean back in the hold and gesture at the disheveled hedgehog. “This!”
“Let's get you both home first?” Amy cut in, holding her hands up. Upon closer inspection, it didn't look like she had gotten much sleep either; her headband was missing, and she looked more done than relieved now.
Halfway there, most of the streetlights having turned off as daylight started to fully hit, only the distant barking of a dog filling the air, and Amy's attempt at small talk (that constantly moved between not prying too much and not letting everything get too awkward either) came to a stop… embarrassment finally caught up to Tails, and he finally wiped his eyes and went to sheepishly shift out of the hedgehog's grasp.
His legs were pretty numb now, and he's sure the hedgehog's arms are tired too—except the grip holding him up didn't relent, making him pause. “..Sonic?”
“We're okay, buddy,” Sonic said simply, with so much conviction one would have to believe it was true, not even moving to look down at the fox as they continued walking.
Amy was the first to move towards the front door… considering Sonic's hands were more than a little tied. It opened right up—guess Tails really didn't lock anything on his way out. The fox cleared his throat and just looked away.
“You're starting to make me feel bad for having left you alone while he wasn't here…” Amy chuckled softly, pushing the door open for both of them.
Sonic carried Tails inside, the air of home, quiet and dim, didn't feel like it was absolutely ripping into Tails for once, in what felt like weeks. Sonic stood at the entrance, seeming to be taking it all in… satisfied? That was the only expression Tails could name that matched the look on his face. Amy closed the door after both of them with a soft click, sighing softly as she picked up a jacket Tails had left on the ground in his hurry out the door.
Tails finally managed to shimmy out of Sonic's grip (the hedgehog had yet to budge from where he was standing, staring ahead), giving Amy a sheepish laugh as his hand found itself at the back of the his neck.
The other curled itself around the blue hedgehog's hand, ignoring his odd silence and moving to guide him further inside. But it didn't matter. It wouldn't matter. Sonic was home— he was finally home.