Chapter Text
It was after their weekly sparring session that Tom approached Sonic. He was off to the side doing high-knees so fast that he radiated a buzzing sound as a cool down; only Sonic would have called that a cool down. Over in the distance Knuckles was helping Tails put away some of his equipment.
Even though Eggman was gone the boys decided to stay vigilant- with plenty of time for playing and TV of course. Tom and Maddie weren’t over enthused at the idea of them fighting each other, but they understood the importance of staying sharp.
“You go easy on Tails, y’know.” Tom didn’t look at Sonic when he said it, just crossed his arms and stood next to him, watching the other two boys make their way back into the house. Sonic slowed his high knees to more of a jog in place, which for him was still incredibly fast.
“What? No I don’t, I beat them both fair and square.” Square? Maybe, but fair? Definitely not. Sonic had taken to using tricks to get one over on Knuckles when they sparred; it was effective, if not the most honest way to win. And Tails, well, he was Tails.
“Well I don’t know about that,” Sonic rolled his eyes as Tom looked at him with his eyebrows raised, “But you definitely pull your punches with him.”
“Pssh, no.” He drew out the ‘no’ as if the longer the word the more convincing it would be. Rubbing the back of his neck he stopped moving all together. Deep down he knew he went easy on Tails, but he was uncomfortable being confronted with it.
“Uh, yeah.” Tom took on that matter of fact tone of voice and Sonic watched Knuckles try to balance three glasses of lemonade from the doorway to the patio table. “You hit Knuckles like it’s life or death, with Tails you just sort of run around him till he falls down.”
It was true of course but he didn’t want to admit to it just yet.
“...It’s strategy.” He decides on, already knowing that his adoptive dad wouldn’t buy it. “Different enemies…different…strategy.”
He didn’t even try to look at Tom as he slowly made out his words, picturing the placid look of disbelief on his face. He heard Tom kind of shuffle and soon felt a hand on his shoulder. He finally looked up guiltily, not quite sure yet why he felt so shameful about this.
“Sure.” Tom started, trying to validate the hedgehog and make him feel more comfortable. “Just don’t be afraid to hit him since he’s your buddy, he’s strong too.”
He knew this of course, but the idea of actually punching Tails- who to him seemed like such a source of light in his life- was stomach churning.
“I know!” His words came out too fast and too loud. He covered his face with his hands as a way to make himself smaller than his outburst. He didn’t think he could do it, hit Tails. He wasn’t exactly sure why, he could hit Knuckles and they were very close as well. Just with Tails…it felt different. When his hands touched his orange fur he wanted to sink into it, not violate it. “I just don’t- like- want to hurt him.”
“And you want to hurt Knuckles?” He uncovered his face just to scowl at Tom. He could tell he was fishing, but gave into it anyway.
“He wants to hurt me!” He exclaimed. He knew it wasn’t as simple as that, there was a nuance to their fights, more like a dance than anything. Tom knew it was time to drop it, though, and stood back up.
Sonic was left with his face feeling hot, why did the thought of hurting Tails bother him so much? Was it leftover feelings from seeing him knocked out, or was it some sort of subconscious bias he had? Whatever it was, he didn't have a lot of time to think about it.
“Sonic!” Tails called out from the patio, “We’re gonna play monopoly!” He softened seeing him so excited and made a move to walk over there.
“Just think about what I said, okay bud?” Tom said before he started dashing away.
“Whatever, dad.” He brushed him off, trying to put the subject to the back of his mind.
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The day’s earlier talk kept bothering Sonic though, and by the time the sun started setting he was getting physically antsy about it. He decided counsel was needed. It couldn’t be Tom, he’s the one who started this all, plus he already knew how he felt about the situation. Not Maddie either, she didn’t like watching them spar. And Tails? Hell no, he was not ready for that yet. So: Knuckles it would have to be.
He knew the echidna would be in their room, no longer just his since the two moved in with them. He slept in a hammock that Tom installed for him, and liked to lounge in it looking at history books when he could. ‘Looking’ being the operative word, he still wasn’t big on reading yet, but enjoyed seeing detailed pictures of past civilization’s weapons and armies.
Sonic dashed into the room and fiddled with his hands, feeling nervous before he started,
“Hey, Knuck-man, Knuck-o,” He sensed that his friend wasn’t paying him any attention and cleared his throat to speak a bit louder, “Knuckles? Do I go easy on Tails when we-”
“Yes.” He interrupted, licking a finger to turn the page without looking up at the hedgehog.
“Let me finish!” He was starting to think that asking Knuckles about this might not have been the best idea. “When we spar.”
“I wouldn’t call what you two do sparring, more like a circus act where the goal is not to touch the other.” He was offended for sure, but really, if even Knuckles could sus out that there was something going on then it had to be serious.
“It’s that bad?” Knuckles finally closed his book and jumped down from the hammock, landing with a solid thump. He approached Sonic and poked him in the chest. He wasn’t sure what to do with that so he just continued to stare at him.
“You two should take sparring seriously,” Knuckles was always trying to push them to do more, add in more training days, or do more intense sets. It’s no wonder he wouldn’t like Sonic slacking off even a little. “Instead of going easy on each other.”
“I just can’t bring myself to- wait, did you say ‘each other’?” Knuckles glowered, like Sonic was purposely playing dumb.
“You didn’t think he was using all his power. You have seen him fight me.” Sonic shook his head, surely Tails wasn’t going easy on him.
“That’s different,” he started confidently, “With you he uses all his gadgets and gizmos and I see what you’re saying yeah…yeah.”
He trails off, frowning. Tails with all his instruments is an even match for Knuckles, he could easily win a few matches off of Sonic. So why does he insist on plain hand to hand with him? He hasn’t won a single time, always laughing it off and complimenting him after they spar. With that little smile of his.
“Why does he go easy on me?” He asks more to the air than to Knuckles, feeling more confused than ever. The air doesn’t respond, but Knuckles does.
“Why do you go easy on him?”
“It’s…” It takes him a little while to gather his thoughts, he hadn’t even considered that his friend might be treating him in the same way. He wondered if Tails felt the same. “...with you I feel pumped up and I want to show you what I can do; with Tails, I still want to show off, but he makes me feel so calm that I don’t want to hit him.”
There was a dichotomy in his two friendships, one was all passion and raging fire, He wanted Knuckles to see him as strong, as worthy. But his other friendship was softer, he wanted Tails to see him as strong too, but in a different, more dependable way. Knuckles made him feel bold, and Tails made him feel steady- and that doesn’t lend itself to hitting him.
“Tails feels the sa-” Knuckles suddenly claps a hand over his mouth, and Sonic snaps out of his daydreaming. What was he saying? How did Tails feel?
“What, Tails feels what?! You guys talked about this?!” He was close to a panic now, not realizing that his friends had already discussed this. He ran around Knuckles as he, wide eyed, tried and failed to climb back into his hammock.
“Yes- I mean no!,” He wasn’t the best liar, “It is not honorable to tell other’s secrets.” Sonic was freaking out.
“Since when do we do secrets?!” He thought all was good in his little friend group, but now finding out that Tails and Knuckles had secrets that he wans’t privy to was turning his world upside down.
“You hid all the doughnuts.” Knuckles says matter of factly, like that would calm Sonic’s frenzy about the secret keeping. Knuckles fell to the ground after another failed attempt to become hammock-bound and Sonic got on top of him and started shaking him by the shoulders.
“That was different!”
“How?!
“You weren’t supposed to find out!” In the very middle of Sonic rabidly yelling straight into Knuckles’ face Tails poked his head into the room.
“Uh, guys? It’s dinner time…” The two boys stopped moving instantly to turn to look at Tails, they became statues, wide eyed and crazed looking. “Unless I’m interrupting something?” he questioned.
“NO!” Sonic and Knuckles yelled at the same time.