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Miles “Tails” Prower wasn’t afraid.
If he was—hypothetically speaking, of course—he might be curled up in bed, shivering and praying that the storm should soon come to an end. He might be teary eyed, or restless. He might be tossing and turning, unable to sleep after a particularly harsh strike of lightning, thinking up “what if” scenarios.
It wasn’t even that big a deal. Tails had gone up against a giant evil robot piloted by one of the most fiercest minds out there—Robotnik very well might’ve brought on the end of the universe. This was nothing. Just a little tempest, loud but relatively harmless. If Tails could handle Robotnik’s insanity, he could handle this.
At least, that’s what he told himself. Over and over again, obsessed with looking brave in the face of anything. If there was one thing he’d learned from his days on his home planet, it was that showing weakness only ever got you in a heap of trouble. But, he supposed he didn’t need to worry too much about that now. He had a roof over his head, a stable one at that, and he got more food than he could’ve ever imagined on his plate. He was overjoyed (albeit a bit hesitant) when Tom and Maddie Wachowski offered him a bed in their home.
As the thunder rumbled deeply, Tails retreated further into his covers, taking a deep breath in. Don’t cry, he thought, don’t even think about crying. Obviously, trying not to think about crying only made him think about it harder. Pinpricks of water welled up in his eyes, making everything blur together. He sniffled, and slowly sat up in bed. His eyes adjusted to the dark, and he saw both figures of Sonic and Knuckles sleeping soundly. Sighing, he flinched as yet another lightning bolt struck high in the sky.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to ask for help. Surely they wouldn’t be mad at him for waking them up…right?
As cautiously as possible, Tails snuck over to Sonic’s bed and gently shook his shoulder, whispering under his breath.
“Sonic…can you hear me?” He asked.
The blue hedgehog was generally a deep sleeper, but with a few more persuasive moves on Tails’s part, he stirred and blinked awake. Green eyes met blue, and Sonic spoke, voice slurred.
“…Tails? What’re you doing up?”
Suddenly bashful, Tails shifted on his feet and pursed his lips. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. He didn’t want to disturb the hedgehog with his childish fear. When lightning struck close by and Tails jumped, Sonic seemed to realize the issue.
“Oh. You’re scared?” He said.
It didn’t come off as mocking, but Tails still stepped back, having heard that phrasing before. Memories pulled him into a dark place that he’d really rather forget. He nodded dejectedly.
“Sorry…” he muttered, “I didn’t want to bother you. I can’t sleep.”
Sonic hopped out of bed and patted the small fox on the head, turning towards Knuckles’s still frame. Giving Tails a reassuring glance, he sped over and shook the echidna’s shoulder with vigor. Immediately, the warrior was on his feet, looking in every direction for the threat which awakened him. When he saw Sonic standing there with Tails behind him, looking nervous, a surge of protectiveness enveloped him.
“What is wrong, fox?” He asked seriously, approaching.
“Tails can’t sleep cause of the storm,” Sonic suddenly beamed, drawing in Knuckles for a group huddle, “and it’s our job to make him feel better.”
“I see,” Knuckles said, “and what should we do?”
Tails looked between the two of them as they whispered conspicuously. The pattering of rain on the roof reminded him too much of his life back home; he needed to shut the noise out. Groaning in frustration, he plugged his ears with his fingers.
“We need to call for backup,” Sonic said, “Mom and dad will know what to do.”
“Lord of donuts and lady of pretzels…I suppose that may work.” Knuckles looked back at Tails and was instantly at his side, petting his head.
“Are you alright, little fox?” He asked.
“I—I can’t get it out of my head,” Tails said, trembling, “I’m sorry…I’m bothering you guys, aren’t I?”
“Not at all,” Sonic said cheerfully, “I’m always ready to help my little buddy out when he needs it. Come on, let’s go downstairs.”
“Okay…”
Knuckles took hold of his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Tails was surprised to see how far he’d come from crushing anyone’s hand who dared give him a handshake. Tails blushed from all the attention he was getting—he really didn’t deserve it.
Once they were all exited from the attic, Sonic led them into Tom and Maddie’s room, where two silent forms slept on the queen sized mattress. Feeling unsure, Tails spoke his mind, squeezing Knuckles’s spiked hand.
“Are you sure we should bother them?” He whispered.
Sonic stopped and turned to him, patting his head.
“Don’t worry. When I…” he hesitated, like he wasn’t sure whether to tell them or not, “well, when I have nightmares I always wake them up, and they’ve never gotten mad even once.”
Tails felt glad that Sonic was able to tell them that in confidence. Being the oldest of the three, Knuckles jumped onto the bed and announced himself promptly.
“Lord of Donuts, Lady of Pretzels, we’ve come seeking your aid!”
Groaning, the figures stirred, and slowly awakened. Maddie was the first to open her eyes, and when she saw all three of the Mobians standing together on their bed, she was both confused and concerned. Tom mumbled something like “what’s going on?” when he saw them.
“Hey, kids. What’s wrong?” Maddie asked, giving them her full attention. Tom was trying his best to look awake, rubbing his eyes and yawning loudly. Tails stuttered out an answer.
“U—Um…I just, couldn’t sleep…that’s all…” he knew he was fidgeting an awful lot, so he tried to restrain himself.
“Oh, honey,” Maddie said sympathetically, “is it because of the storm?”
Hesitantly, like he couldn’t admit it to himself, Tails nodded. Sonic drew him in for a side hug, and Knuckles stood there awkwardly, as if just realizing they were in Tom and Maddie’s bed. The two humans slid out of their covers, and Tom reached over to rustle Tails fur.
“It’ll be okay, bud. I know just the thing to help,” he said.
Maddie clapped her hands together quietly.
“And so do I. Come with us.”
——
Tom led the three Mobian children to the living room while Maddie retreated to the kitchen, apparently determined to prepare them something special. Tom retrieved a lot of fluffy throws from a storage compartment close by, and practically threw them onto the kids, drawing a laugh from each of them. They all sat down on the couch, and Tails had to admit he was grateful for the distraction everyone had given him. He hadn’t thought about his home village since waking everyone up.
He buried his face in one of the blankets, humming softly.
Hearing the TV turn on, he lifted his head to stare at the screen as an unfamiliar movie started playing. Tom drew him close to his side, and Tails idly leaned into the contact. Sonic and Knuckles were talking amongst themselves, but the fox could tell they were keeping a close eye on him.
“I really appreciate you guys doing this for me,” he said politely, looking down at the palms of his hands, “I really didn’t expect to…to have this many friends. Ever.”
Maddie walked into the room holding two cups of hot chocolate, handing one to Tails and one to Sonic, warning them both of the heat. She went back into the kitchen and brought out two more, one for Knuckles and one for Tom. Finally, she retrieved her cup, and joined them all on the sofa.
Sonic gave Tails a worrying look.
“Well, now that you’re with us, there’s no getting rid of us,” he laughed, “you’re stuck.”
“I don’t mind being stuck, as long as it’s with you guys,” he had a smile on his face that quickly dissipated, “back home, I…I guess family just felt like a far away dream. Something that wouldn’t become a reality. Growing up in an orphanage, stuff like this never seemed possible…”
The background noise of the TV distracted him from the thunder and lightning outside, and silence enveloped the group. Eventually, Tails decided to continue.
“Everyone thought my two tails were strange. And my abnormal intelligence estranged me from the kids my age…I never knew how to fit in. I’d get called names, and—“
Maybe he was sharing too much. Maybe he was being a nuisance. Tails curled up into a small ball, hiding his face from the world. The arm cradling his side gave him a gentle squeeze, and Tom ran his hand through his fur. Before he knew how to stop them, the tears began falling from his eyes, and he drew in a shaky breath.
“I’m sorry, it’s just—I’m so lucky,” he sobbed.
Tom drew him into his lap, and everyone gathered around to form a group hug.
“It is alright, small fox,” Knuckles said, “we are here for you, no matter what happens.”
“Yeah, Knucks is right,” Sonic added, “your bros are always close by, don’t ever forget that.”
“We’re lucky to have you as family, honey,” Maddie said.
“You have us now. Those days are over.” Tom said.
“Thank you…”
Maybe he wouldn’t be so scared of storms anymore. And even if he was, he knew he had family he could count on for support.
Always.