Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

No one had ever asked Tails if he'd thought the way he'd lived was strange, but even if they had, he would've said, "not really, no," all the same. And he'd known what that meant, as far back as he could remember. Strange implied other, different, not usual in the slightest. He was strange, after all. He was a fox with two tails. That just wasn't how foxes were supposed to be. And they certainly weren't supposed to be able to use them to fly.

But that was the thing, you needed something to compare it to in order to define whatever it was as "strange." His living arrangement could only be strange if he'd lived any other way before it. While he might have, at some point, for most of Tails's life, he'd honestly known nothing else.

His normal was going to sleep in a new place every night, on the ground with nothing but a thin blanket that was easy to roll up and stash away and wouldn't be missed if it ever got stolen. There was no guarantee that any of their belongings were safe from being snatched from their camping spots if they didn't hide things well enough, so items of sentimentality were extremely limited. Tails had learned that the hard way, when he begged and begged Sonic for a way past cool skateboard that lasted all of a week before some jerk made off with it while they were sleeping. 

He didn't ask for anything for a while after that. A tight knot balled up in his chest when he thought about how hesitant Sonic had been to buy it for him in the first place. Not that Sonic didn't ever buy things for him. He did. It was just usually things like comic books that could easily be donated after they'd finished reading them. 

"We already know the story now, little bro. No use keeping it around anymore. Not when some other kid can experience it for the first time thanks to us! What do you say?"

It made sense enough to him. It didn't occur to him that it was because they could only carry so much with them. Anything that wasn't essential to their survival was donated or sold for a little extra spending money.

That was his normal. His baseline. His home. 

Home was never one place to him. It was wide open spaces and the comforting canopy of trees. It was a rush of wind ruffling his fur as it sped past, a firm grip around his wrist, a smile, a guiding hand at his shoulder or on the small of his back.

He didn't know most kids should've had a bed to sleep in at night. That kids needed a roof over their heads to keep the rain off of them. Most kids weren't supposed to have their dinner around a campfire every night and their lullabies were something other than the trickle of nearby streams or the distant sound of cars on the road. 

He didn't know that most shouldn't be worried about where their next meal was coming from, especially if they were with their big brother. But sometimes it'd be an awful long time since they'd last eaten. Sonic would keep checking his wallet throughout the day, as if maybe the next time he looked there'd be enough spare change for a candy bar or a bag of chips.

"How you feeling, little buddy? Still doing okay?" Sonic would ask, his voice as light as ever.

Tails would nod and pretend really hard like his stomach wasn't trying to eat itself. "Uh-huh! You don't gotta worry about me, Sonic. I'm okay!"

"We'll make camp soon, don't you worry."

Tails believed him, he always would. Sonic didn't lie to him, not unless he was just teasing him and he'd only let that go so far. So he'd try and help distract Sonic right back.

"I'm not worried! It's fun to stay up late! Can I play with the flashlight for a little bit?"

"Sure thing, keed. Just be careful not to use up all the battery."

The hunger didn't ever last too long. Eventually Sonic would find enough money to buy them something, or someone would reward one of his good deeds with some cash or a free meal. Very rarely was it anything other than chili dogs, but from ages four to six, Tails couldn't complain. Any and all food was welcome in his eyes.

Still, he supposed he should've been more excited when they got an actual kitchen. When access to food was no longer limited by what they'd been able to forage or solely to things with a long shelf life. The little house on top of the workshop in the Mystic Ruins opened up so many possibilities for the kind of food they could keep and eat.

Sonic even hooked up a full-sized fridge in the kitchen upstairs. "Now it'll be way easier to keep food fresh for longer!"

But there was still snow on the ground. It was still cold enough to wrap up and bury their perishable items in a snowbank. Sure, Tails was interested in what machines could do to improve one's quality of life, but he didn't fully understand what it meant to have a fridge.

Well, specifically what it meant for the two of them to have a fridge. Or any of the other things Sonic filled the workshop with.

Why did they need beds or a couch to sit on when the ground was right there? Why did they need a shower when they could wash off in the lake by the waterfall? Why did they need a stove and an oven and microwave to cook their food when a campfire just as easily did the job? Their whole way of life felt like it had been entirely upended over night and Tails just couldn't figure out why. He was supposed to be a genius, but Sonic's half-answers and reassurances did little to help him piece together the fact that their nomadic lifestyle had suddenly become very not.

It was… strange.

Tails could understand a little better why the village in Emerald Hill had found him so upsetting.

"But… why?"

Sonic looked at him after successfully hooking up the fridge to the generator and something must've shown on his face because the hedgehog's smile dropped and his brow furrowed. "Hey, what's wrong? Don't you like it?"

Tails opened his mouth to reassure him, he didn't like to let Sonic down, but his voice refused to say the words his brother was clearly hoping to hear. Instead he clamped his mouth shut and said nothing, just shrugged as he struggled to untie the tangled up knot in his stomach. It felt worse than going to bed hungry.

"Tails? Oh, come on, big guy… I mean, how cool is this? Our own place? I mean, it's about time, don't you think?"

"I thought it wasn't safe for us to stay in one place for too long," Tails said.

Sonic blinked, then scratched his nose. "Yeah, well… this place is pretty out of the way, even for Egghead. We don't even have any neighbors! We've got the mountains behind us and nothing but ocean straight ahead! We'd see Eggman coming a mile away, keed. No way he'd catch us by surprise out here."

"He could take the train and see us," Tails pointed out.

"I somehow doubt he's much for public transit." Sonic tapped his knuckles lightly against Tails's forehead. "C'mon, little bro. You're usually up for anything. Give this place a chance."

Tails pursed his lips, ears and tails drooping at the earnest expression Sonic sent his way. There was something else in his eyes that Tails didn't quite recognize, and he wondered what else his brother wasn't telling him about this sudden decision to settle down in one spot. 

He'd just have to figure it out himself.

The winter snow had thawed, giving way to fresh green grass dotted with budding flowers and dandelion fluff. Tails had hoped with spring's arrival things would go back to normal, that maybe whatever weird mood Sonic had been in for the past several months would melt away with the cold and they could leave this place. But spring was halfway through and things had only gotten worse.

After Sonic came back from his "solo mission" where he took the Tornado, at first things had started looking up. There were a few weeks where Sonic was ready and willing to take off running, letting the two of them bounce around to nearby towns or fly around in the biplane, but they always came back to the workshop at night, without fail. He was also constantly checking the mail and his cell phone, sometimes sneaking off to make phone calls where Tails couldn't hear. When he asked, Tails wasn't able to get any details out of him. Whatever Sonic was doing, he didn't want him to know about it.

Then he started disappearing again. "Where are you going?" Tails would ask.

"Just got a few errands to run, little bro. Nothing major."

"Can I come?"

"Nah, it's better if you stay put, squirt. I'll be back in a flash. You won't even realize I'm gone!"

Tails didn't know who he thought he was kidding, he always knew when Sonic was gone.

Sitting on the stone steps leading up to the workshop, he hugged his knees to his chest while his tails wrapped around himself for comfort. Sonic had been gone since before breakfast, while Tails was still asleep. He woke up to find a sticky note on the fridge telling him that breakfast was in there and he just needed to heat it up in the microwave for one minute, give it a good smack, press the number 5, then hit ‘cancel,' and then put it back in for another thirty seconds. Sonic said that was just how microwaves were supposed to be, though Tails was decently sure he could improve it. He kept meaning to ask for permission to, but only remembered when Sonic wasn't around. 

Which, more times than not, it felt like Sonic wasn't ever around. When he was, he seemed tired. Drained. Grumpy. Testy in a way that he hadn't been since around the time they'd first met, before he really got the hang of having a tagalong. Tails knew Sonic wasn't the most patient person, not by a longshot, but it didn't feel good when the only time they got to spend together had to be spent tip-toeing around eggshells in case one wrong word sent him speeding off in a huff again. 

Wait here until I come back.

A gentle breeze ruffled his fur and he shivered, rubbing his arms as an uneasy feeling coiled in his chest. Another thing that had been happening more and more was these little not-memories. He didn't remember much before Sonic, bits and pieces here and there. Mostly being afraid of the villagers of Emerald Hill, being cold and hungry, being lonely. What he didn't remember was how he ended up alone. The faces and voices of his parents were nothing more than gaping voids in his mind, dark like distant stars whose light couldn't quite reach his orbit. 

But he remembered he'd been called Miles. He remembered the way his name sounded, even if the voices themselves had been muted. It never sounded like a nice name.

Tails never told Sonic that was why he didn't want to be called Miles. He hadn't needed to give him a reason at all. If he wanted to go by the name Sonic had given him on a whim, then that's what they'd do. No questions asked.

But Sonic had given him a name because he wanted to. Because he cared enough about the little tagalong to want to call him something. That meant more to him than Miles did.

Though lately it didn't feel like Sonic cared very much at all.

His stomach grumbled noisily. It was past lunchtime, but Tails wanted to wait a little bit longer, just to see if Sonic would come back. He watched the train tracks, the tunnels in and out of the mountains were the most obvious routes for the hedgehog to take. There was no sign of him yet, but that didn't mean anything when he could move faster than sound. The train could blow its whistle and Sonic could be standing in front of him before the shrill note was halfway through. 

Tails listened for the one o'clock train, having memorized the schedule now that the Mystic Ruins had its own train station. A rather precarious looking thing, held aloft by support beams that Tails would spend evenings reinforcing when he was bored and the construction team had already gone home. He actually bumped their timeline up by two months, they hadn't expected to open the station until the summer.

Once the one o'clock train passed, then he'd get up and figure out what to eat for lunch. He could probably just heat a hot dog in the microwave, but they never tasted very good that way. He liked it better when Sonic cooked them over a campfire. Even boiled was better than microwaved, but he wasn't allowed to use the stove unsupervised. Not after he used the gas burners for a welding project and almost set the reclaimed wood counters on fire in the process. The argument that it wouldn't have happened if he had his own blowtorch didn't help his case. 

Sonic even went as far as to put child-proof plastic locks on the dials, even though Tails could easily figure out how to unlock them. It wasn't even hard. Sure he was a genius, but he was pretty sure most kids would eventually figure it out. The design was a little insulting.

He took them off to make tea on the nights Sonic wasn't back by bedtime, then popped them back on and washed the mug so he wouldn't know, but he tried not to use it for other reasons. He figured Sonic at least owed it to him to be able to make his own bedtime tea, though the hedgehog probably just expected him to microwave that, too.

"Stupid microwave," he grumbled. "It'd be fine if it just worked better…"

His two tails flicked in twin annoyance, his ears flattening as the train whistle above him sounded, followed by the rumbling of the tracks. No Sonic. The train waited at the station until two minutes past one, then it was on the move again, disappearing into the mountains. With a sigh, Tails slumped over his knees for a minute, then forced his tails to spin so he could hover off the ground.

He flew up to the workshop, bypassing the downstairs entirely to land on the balcony. He opened the door and stepped inside, immediately struck by how quiet the little house was. When they'd added the insulation and patched up the cracks, Tails also added soundproofing since they were so close to the rickety railway. They'd feel the vibrations of the train every now and then, but the sound was muffled enough that it didn't disturb them too much. Unfortunately it also blocked out the sounds of nature along with it.

Tails left the door open so he could at least hear the ocean, ears twitching as that sound also stirred up memories he didn't quite remember. Still, it was better than silence, so he left it and wandered into the kitchen. There were two hot dogs left in the package in the fridge, but little else. Tails sighed, already guessing what that meant for their bun situation. Why there were ten hot dogs in a package and only eight hot dog buns was still a mystery to him. 

Maybe Sonic would bring back some groceries. 

Tails closed the fridge, not wanting to take the two hot dogs in case Sonic was hungry when he came back. He usually got pretty hungry after going for a run. Tails opened one of the drawers where Sonic hid a stash of dinner mints, popping one into his mouth to tide him over like Sonic used to when it would be a while until they could eat. Maybe they could go to the store together after he ate. He probably wouldn't notice that Tails hadn't had lunch. He wasn't noticing much lately.

An idea sparked as Tails eyed the microwave sitting on the counter, treating himself to a second mint. If he wasn't going to eat, then he needed something to do. And Sonic was the one who was always saying how important it was to make your own fun. For Tails there was nothing more fun than seeing how things worked and making them better.

"I'd ask for permission, but it's not my fault he's never around," Tails reasoned to himself. "And maybe he'll finally start paying attention again if I do something to help."

Tails flew up to the counter and unplugged the appliance, hefting it up with a grunt to try and get it down. He'd just examine it real quick, see what made it tick. It was rather unwieldy though, difficult for his arms to hold onto as he tried to hop back down to the floor. He lost his grip on it, both of them plummeting to the hardwood floor. The microwave door cracked on impact and the back of it fell open.

"Oops." Well, he had no choice but to fix it now.

Tails pushed the busted appliance into the living room where he could spread out, then fetched his tools from his bedroom. He'd be the essence of speed, keed. It couldn't be that hard to fix a microwave.

Sonic was in a mood. 

Stupid social worker giving him homework. Who did she think she was? This wasn't school, even if he had to attend pointless classes about trauma response and CPR. He already knew how to do CPR and basic first aid, he didn't need a certificate that had to be renewed every two years to be qualified to save somebody. When you spent your formative years in life threatening situations on a regular basis and used your own body as a projectile, you were bound to pick up a thing or two on patching yourself up and the little fox hanging out with you. Especially when the little fox was curious and poked his nose into bots to see how they worked when they maybe weren't entirely offline yet.

Sonic took the long way back to the Mystic Ruins just to run off some steam. And to stop by one of his favorite chili dog establishments. Hey, he earned it. 

He was so close to finishing all the paperwork so they could submit it to Probate court, but there were a few things the guardianship workshop leader wanted him to work on before she'd sign off on the packet. Sonic took his complaints to his social worker, Sable, but she was less than sympathetic to his plight.

"She has a point," the cat told him. "More guardianships are likely to succeed when there's a stable support system in place."

Sonic glowered at her, arms crossed and foot tapping incessantly. "That a requirement? Because you didn't put it on the list."

"Not a requirement, no, but in your case, a strong recommendation that you should take seriously."

"I really want to know what exactly it is I'm doing that makes you think I'm not taking any of this seriously. I'm here aren't I? I sit through all the classes. I read your pamphlets. I don't know what else you want from me!"

Sable the Social Worker reached into a drawer in her desk, rifling through a few papers before pulling out a worksheet. She handed it to Sonic so he could look at it. There was a big circle in the center, with five smaller circles all connected around it, each with a different label. The Rock, the Wise, the Companion, the Tag In, and the Advocate. 

"What's this supposed to be?"

"This is a circle of support worksheet," she said.

"Oh, give me a break," he complained. "Are you serious? This can't actually be a thing, can it?"

She ignored him. "I want you to fill out at least two of these circles with the names of people you feel fit the roles listed there. If you promise to do that before your guardianship hearing, I'll make sure that the workshop leader signs off on your paperwork. Does that sound reasonable?"

"Sounds like you're just wasting our time," he grumbled. "I thought the whole point of me being emancipated was to prove I could take care of Tails on my own."

The way she looked at him had him itching to run. "Have you ever heard the expression, ‘it takes a village to raise a child?'"

"No," Sonic lied.

She worked with too many teenagers, it was annoying how she'd always give him a look when she knew he was lying to her. "What it boils down to, is that everyone looking after a child needs support in some way. Parents included. Even the good ones. It's not a burden you have to shoulder alone."

Sonic took a step back as if he'd been smacked. "He's not a burden."

Sable shook her head. "Don't purposely misunderstand me. You know what I'm saying here."

"Sounds like you're saying looking after someone's a burden."

"And it sounds like you're being contrary just because you don't want to do something." Sable raised an eyebrow when he didn't argue the point. "Will you be in a better mood during the home study later today?"

"I will if you never say ‘it takes a village' again."

Even in his worst moods, he could tell he was growing on her. Not that it mattered what she thought of him, but it was pretty satisfying to see her barely hide a smile as she shook her head at him. "I make no promises. Just remember our appointment is for two o'clock."

"Yeah, yeah."

The social worker tilted her head thoughtfully, cat ears flicking with interest. "And what about Tails?"

"What about him?"

"How is he feeling about the home study?"

"Oh that? Pfft. He's totally fine with it." Sonic waved off the concern and Sable raised an eyebrow. "What? After all we've been through, you still don't trust me?" Sonic pressed his hand over his heart, feigning a forlorn expression.

"Not in the slightest." Shaking her head, she attempted to steer the conversation back on track. "Now, don't avoid the subject. It's been some time since I've seen him, but our last encounter could be considered something of a traumatic episode."

"That's kind of a loaded word. I mean, was it upsetting? Yeah, maybe, but I'd hardly call it ‘traumatic,'" he assured her. "He's a tough kid. Been through way worse things and came out on top in the end. He'll be fine."

And he honestly believed that. Tails was a lot stronger than anyone really gave him credit for. Sonic could see it. 

Every time they faced one of Eggman's badnik battalions, with robots four times their size waiting to crush them, Tails would square up next to him, little fists curled and determination etched on his face. He'd been there, right beside him, since he was three or four. Sonic didn't think even he could've managed that at his age, even with his drive for adventure.

It was one thing to imagine a life of adventure, another to live it entirely.

So Sonic had complete faith in the kid that he could handle the home study.

However, he might have left out a couple of details. The thing that always seemed to trip Tails up - and Sonic, too, if he was being honest - was if he was given too much time to dwell on something. Sitting with his own expectations looming over him were what sent Tails into a bit of a tailspin. He was much better at adapting on the fly. Identifying a threat in the moment and quickly figuring out the most efficient way to neutralize it. If Tails had too much time to act, that was when he'd get in his own way.

So maybe Sonic told him that people were coming over today. But maybe he didn't say who those people were or why. 

He just didn't want him to get worked up over something that wasn't really anything. The home study was just another step in a long, long, long list of things he needed to get over with before he could schedule a court date. And it was one that they'd pass with flying colors. Anyone could see that the two of them made a great team. It wasn't anything to be worried about.

Yeah, if Tails could adapt to Eggman switching out his crabmeat badniks to shellcrackers or figure out how to mix together two compounds to create some rubbery goo in a chemical plant that would send them bouncing to the ceiling rather than burn its way right through them, then he could adapt to this no problem. Especially after a lunch of delicious, piping hot chili dogs.

His faith in Tails aside, he was still pretty annoyed about the whole homework thing. Circle of support. What a joke. 

While waiting for their food, he took out the worksheet to give it another look. Each label had its own description for the kind of person that would fit. The "rock" was supposed to be someone who'd stick by you in difficult times and love you unconditionally. The "wise" was someone you could count on to be brutally honest with you, while the "tag in" is your go-to when you need a break, someone you trust to get the job done. Sonic rolled his eyes and folded it back up. Those kinds of things didn't need labels. If people were going to help you, then they were going to help you. It wasn't like Sonic ever waited around to make sure he was someone's designated "tag in" or "rock" or whatever. 

Besides, this was Tails. He'd been looking out for him on his own for this long and things were fine. They had their moments, sure, but at the end of the day they were still a team. Sonic and Tails.

He'd bank on his social worker forgetting about the dumb worksheet by the time their court date was decided. Or he'd conveniently misplace it. Maybe he'd tell her Tails accidentally drew blueprints all over it or something. Yeah, that was good. That'd work.

When their food was ready, a double order of chili dogs since he was already in the mood for leftovers later, Sonic wasted no time speeding through Station Square and up to the railroad tracks to head… well, home, he guessed.

It was strange having a home base for so long. The last time he'd stayed in one spot for more than a month had been the orphanage on Christmas Island. As much as he'd hated it then, it was more the lack of freedom that made him itching to escape the grounds constantly.

Here, no one was forcing him to stay put. No one was forcing him to come back either. Nothing was stopping him from just taking off and never looking back.

Sonic stilled as the train tunnel gave way to the green fields, the red cliffs, and the waterfall. He wouldn't do that. Not without taking Tails with him, but it didn't change the fact that he could, at any point, leave. 

But that was the whole point of this guardianship thing, wasn't it? Everyone would see they were a package deal. That they weren't getting Sonic without Tails and vice versa. He wouldn't leave him. Not ever. 

It would be a relief to come back to this place when all this legal junk wasn't hanging over their heads. Then they truly would be free to come and go as they pleased, really use this place as a base of operations to come back to while they traveled the world again.

Sonic hopped off the tracks at the station, bouncing from platform to platform on his way down before zipping up to the workshop on the cliff. He took the outside stairs up to the second floor and grabbed the key from his sock to let himself in.

"Hey, little bro! Long time no see!" Sonic hollered as he kicked the door shut behind him, proudly brandishing the paper bag full of chili dogs. "I come bearing lunch- huh?"

Sonic stepped on something hard, so balanced on one foot as he checked the bottom of his shoe. His brow furrowed as he pulled out a bolt from between the treads of his sneaker. Glancing at the floor, his gaze followed a trail of metal bits and bobs that led right from the kitchen to the center of the living room. The epicenter of what appeared to be nothing less than a graveyard for every appliance in the house.

The paper bag fell from Sonic's grasp and landed with a sad, mushy sound on the hardwood. "Tails."

"You're back!" Hidden from sight initially thanks to the couch, Tails poked his head around it to smile at Sonic.

"Is that our microwave?" Sonic pointed to the box he was sitting criss-crossed in front of, minus most of its inner workings and its entire door.

Tails considered it with a hum. "Well, it was our microwave." He looked around at the debris that surrounded him, finally locking onto a part across the room and pointed at it. "That was also our microwave. I'm fixing it!"

"I just bought it."

"I know, but I figured out why it wasn't heating up the hot dogs very good. The magnetron was only capable of so much output, so the electrons couldn't move fast enough in the filaments, but I replaced the magnets in the magnetron with ones from the fridge, which should give them more room to-" Tails interrupted his own excited babbling as he actually looked at and registered the expression on Sonic's face. "What's wrong?"

Sonic didn't answer, not right away. Instead he sped into the kitchen, where a dismayed, "our fridge!" could be heard before he zoomed down the short hallway into the bathroom, then back out in the living room. A strangled sound escaped as he stepped on several more tiny metal pieces, jabbing at him through the soles of his shoes. He picked them out quickly, sending them flying about the room.

"And what was wrong with the tub?" he demanded.

"The water's not cold enough," Tails replied, a little less eagerly this time, fiddling with his screwdriver as he watched him.

"Then get some ice! Oh, wait, you can't because the fridge is in pieces!" Sonic scrubbed his face with his hands, jogging in place as if he was just barely resisting the urge to just run. "What were you thinking, Tails?"

Tails stiffened, both tails instinctively twisting behind him. "I was just trying to help…"

"This is the exact opposite of helpful," Sonic groaned, staring at the mess like he didn't know where to begin, then dashed around the room, scooping up every little scrap and spare part that covered the floor.

"Hey! Be careful with those, I have a system!" Tails cried out, watching helplessly as Sonic cleared the room of nearly everything he'd been working on. "Sonic!"

"You have a whole workshop downstairs to make a mess in, Tails! That's the whole point of it!" The microwave was tugged from him next, whisked off to parts unknown before Tails could utter another word of protest. "Do you even remember what day it is today?" he called out from his bedroom.

Tails fought back the quiver of his lower lip, setting his brow in a scowl. "Be a Total Jerk Day?" he guessed with a huff.

Sonic sped back into the room with his own matching scowl. "Oh, I'm the jerk? I'm not the one who took apart all our stuff!"

"I needed some extra parts to fix the microwave and a new glass panel for the door. We don't use all of the fridge's shelves and it had some parts I didn't think it'd miss. It'll still work fine when I put it back together," he defended.

"Oh, it better!" Sonic put his hands on his hips. "You're putting it back together now."

"But what if I need more-"

"Whatever it is, you don't."

Tails got to his feet, hands balled up at his sides and tails fluffed up. "Don't interrupt me!"

Without another word, Sonic nabbed him by the scruff and whisked him from the living room to the kitchen, dashing out to collect all his tools and dump them in a heap at his feet. "Can you fix this in thirty minutes?" he asked slowly.

Tails glared at him. "Yes."

"Good. Do that. I'll deal with the tub." Sonic dashed down the hall, backtracking to grab a wrench from the pile of tools, then was gone again.

Tails rolled his eyes. "That's the wrong wrench."

Sonic was back, foot tapping as he held out the wrench he'd grabbed so Tails could exchange it for the right one. "Thank you."

"You're not welcome."

Sonic pointed the wrench at him. "We're fixing your attitude next."

"Mine's not the one that's busted," he muttered when Sonic was out of earshot.

"What was that?"

"What about the microwave?" Tails called out, examining the inside of the fridge.

"What about it?"

"Does it have to be fixed in thirty minutes, too?"

"Don't worry about the microwave, we can get by without it for now."

Tails started screwing the compressor fan back into place. "Then why do we even have one in the first place?" he grumbled to himself.

The refrigerator was back in working order - and working better - in twenty minutes, much to Tails's smug pleasure. However, he didn't get to soak it up as long as he wanted, because as soon as Sonic had re-tightened the hot-water supply pipe and the isolation valve in the tub, he was speeding through the house, shoving Tails's tools into a locked box that he then put in a locked cabinet, and picking up any other loose things that had been lying around.

Tails watched, arms crossed and foot tapping, until Sonic set him down at the table with one of the now-cold chili dogs and an order to eat. "What's today?"

"What?"

"You asked if I remembered what today is," Tails reminded him, still watching the blur as he sped through putting the dishes away that had still been sitting in their drying rack.

Sonic paused to fold his arms against the counter, looking over it at Tails sitting at the round table he'd picked up at an estate sale a few weeks back. Four mismatched chairs had been crammed around it. At first they'd experimented by sitting in a different chair each meal time, just to try them all out, but eventually they'd settled into their favorite spots. Though most of the time they still ate on the couch.

"I told you we were gonna have some visitors today, right?"

Tails frowned and tilted his head to one side. "Yeah."

"Well, they're supposed to be here at two. Which is in-" Sonic instinctively looked to the corner of the kitchen where the microwave should have been, their only clock in the house, then sighed heavily.

He ran outside onto the balcony, eyed the position of the sun for a second, then dashed back in to sit across from Tails and take his own chili dog out of the bag. "I don't know, but probably five minutes at this point." His expression fell as soon as he realized his chili dog was cold, but he powered through it all the same.

Tails's ears drooped. Even though Sonic was being really weird, he did feel a little guilty that it was his fault the food was cold and that they didn't have a microwave for Sonic to reheat his chili dog in. Tails quietly ate his lunch, too, if only to quell the grumbling in his stomach despite the knots it was tying itself in. When he was finished, Sonic cleared the trash, put the extra dogs in the fridge, and then wiped down the table. 

"Who are the visitors?" Tails asked.

"Just some government people who want to ask us a few questions about how we like living up here," Sonic told him. "No big deal."

If it wasn't a big deal, then why was Sonic zipping around like he was attached to a live wire? "That doesn't make sense. The government gave you this place. Why are they asking about it now? Do they want to take it back?" Hope suddenly rose in his chest as Tails sat up on his knees, his tails swishing excitedly. "Do we finally get to leave?"

"Cool it with the questions, keed. No, we're not leaving. This place is definitely ours- oh, now don't look so excited." Sonic frowned as he watched Tails sit back on his heels and pout. "I'm gonna need you to kick that mood of yours, pal."

"Or what?" Tails asked with an irritated flick of his tails.

Sonic didn't seem to have an ‘or what' in mind. "Uh. Or we're gonna have words. That's what."

"So these words don't count?"

"Okay, smart guy, really don't get where this attitude's coming from." Sonic tapped his foot, arms crossed as he met Tails's glare with his own. "You can sulk all you want later, but for now, I'm gonna need you to be on your best behavior."

"You're still not telling me why. Why does it matter what some government people think about us? You never care what people think about us!"

"Well, I care now, okay? Right now, for the next hour, I really care what these government people think."

"About how we like living here."

"Yes."

"Well, I don't like living here." Tails crossed his arms with a huff. "So if they want to kick us out for that, that's fine with me."

Sonic's jaw dropped, and if Tails had been in a better mood, it would've been comical. "Okay, you cannot say that." He scrubbed his hands over his face with a groan. "Jeez, Tails, you have the worst timing. Why didn't you say anything before?"

"When was I supposed to? You're never around anymore!"

"What are you talking about? I'm around," Sonic argued.

"No, you're not." Tails's ears fell. "You just leave me here, all the time, and go off to have fun without me!"

Sonic laughed at that, but there was no humor in it and he looked just about the farthest thing from happy as he could get. "You think I'm out having fun? Are you kidding me?"

"I don't know. I don't know what you do when you're not here."

"Not having fun, that's for sure! You think the past few weeks have sucked for you? You have no idea the hoops I've had to jump through like some kind of circus performer to make sure this all works out!"

"What works out?"

"Everything!"

Tails shook his head. "You're not making any sense!"

"Neither are you!"

"I'm making perfect sense," Tails huffed. "I'm not the one being a jerkface slow-mo by making us stay here!"

"You think I actually want to be stuck here?" Sonic snapped, patience finally fried and the last tendril of self-control that kept him tethered broke. "You think any of this is what I want?"

"You're the one who decided we were gonna stay here!" Tails pointed out, glaring at him.

"Because it was our best option!"

"Best option for what?"

"You!"

"I don't even want to be here!"

"Tough. Sometimes we gotta do things we don't want to do. Like become a certified, gold star babysitter for someone acting like an ungrateful brat!" 

Tails went quiet then, both tails wrapping around him protectively as he stared at Sonic. It took a second, maybe two, but the short silence was enough for the hedgehog to realize what he'd said. Though not enough to cool his temper completely.

"Look, I didn't- I know you're not a brat, it's just- You're better than this, Tails. This isn't… it's…" Sonic swore under his breath, hand covering his mouth as he stared hard at the floor. "It's complicated."

Things had never been complicated before they came here. Everything had been so easy before. Everything made sense.

His continued silence only had Sonic squirming more, but a knock at the door interrupted him before he had a chance to try and say anything else. They both looked at the front door. Neither moved to answer it.

There was another knock and Sonic came up next to him suddenly, crouched down to look into Tails's eyes. "Look, we can hash this out some more later. I'll try and explain everything a bit better. For now, just be cool. Answer their questions, but keep things simple like we always do. Sound good?"

Tails watched as Sonic hurried over to the front door and opened it. His fur suddenly stood on end, frazzled as he jumped down from his chair and backed away into the kitchen. The social worker from Twinkle Park stood in their doorway and Sonic was letting her into the house.

She noticed him immediately over her half-moon spectacles. "Hello again, Tails. It's been a while."

Tails didn't say anything, just hugged one of his tails tighter and kept his gaze locked on her from his spot in the kitchen. A human entered the house with her and she offered him a friendly smile, definitely intending to disarm him, but only succeeding in raising his hackles more. Tails looked to Sonic for guidance, but the hedgehog was just asking if they'd like to sit down. Like it was okay that they were here at all.

"We'll sit down for the interview after the walkthrough," the cat told Sonic, but that was all Tails bothered to listen to before darting out of the kitchen and over to hide on the other side of the couch.

The two social workers let him be as they walked into the kitchen with their clipboards, but Sonic zipped over to him in a flash. "Thought I said be cool, bud," he said quietly.

"You said it was gonna be someone from the government!"

"She is from the government! Sort of. Government-funded."

"Why didn't you tell me she was the one coming over?" Tails hissed.

"Because I didn't want you to freak out, okay?" Sonic whispered back, gaze darting to the two adults to make sure they weren't listening. "But I'll admit, probably not my best idea."

"You think?"

"Shh," Sonic hushed, motioning for him to keep his voice down. "Everything's cool, little pal. She's actually not that bad once you get to know her-"

"I don't want to get to know her!"

"Hey, hey, hey, look at me." Sonic put a hand on his shoulder, uneasy with how tense the kit was and how shaky his breathing had become. "What did I tell you when we first met her?" Tails shook his head, prompting Sonic to rub his shoulder reassuringly. "C'mon. Yeah, you know this, bud. What'd I promise?"

"No one's gonna separate us."

"That's right. You think that's changed?"

So much had changed in the past few months, Tails didn't really know how to answer. Sure change was a natural occurrence and progress couldn't be made without it, but it was way easier to process that in terms of machines. Considerably less so when what was changing wasn't something he necessarily wanted to change at all. Still, Tails shook his head, because he knew that was the answer Sonic wanted from him, the answer that would put a smile on his face, but it did nothing to stop his stomach from churning. He was starting to wish he hadn't eaten that cold chili dog for lunch.

"She's just checking up on us. Making sure we're still good as outliers, yeah?" Sonic winked.

"How did she find out where we are?" Tails asked.

Sonic glanced back over his shoulder, antsy as the two social workers left the kitchen. "I promise I'll explain more later, Tails. Just for now, trust me when I say nothing bad's gonna happen."

He wanted to trust him. He really did. 

But he wanted to run more.

Using Sonic's distraction to his advantage, Tails ducked out of his grasp and bolted, tails propelling him down the hall and into his bedroom. He slammed the door shut and held tight to the doorknob, using his own body to barricade it as best as he could.

Sonic, of course, followed him, but he didn't force his way in when the door didn't immediately give. "Tails? Come on out, keed. Everything's gonna be okay."

"No."

"Tails-"

Tails shook his head even though Sonic couldn't see. "I don't want to."

"Buddy, I promise, it's gonna be fine. It's just a few easy questions-"

He couldn't bite back the whine that was wrenched from his throat as he shook his head harder. "I said I don't want to!" he repeated.

Sonic quieted, one hand on the doorknob as he listened through the wood, heart sinking. He'd definitely gone about this the wrong way. His grip on the doorknob eased and he shifted to lean against the wall instead.

"Okay. Okay, Tails, you don't have to if you don't want to. You just let me know when you're ready," he told him. "And it doesn't have to be today."

He waited a beat, still listening closely for a response from the fox. But Tails said nothing else. Sonic exhaled heavily and rubbed his arm, avoiding the gazes of the two social workers watching him as his heart beat faster and faster.

"Can we… reschedule? He's not… I'm not going to force him to do this if it's upsetting him."

"Of course. We can do that. Though it will have to wait until next week due to my other cases, but we can absolutely reschedule." There was pause as Sable waited for Sonic to nod. "It's not as uncommon as you might think, you know."

Sonic nodded again, still refusing to look either of them in the eye as he walked them to the door. "Sorry for wasting your time."

"We'll try again," Sable assured him, but he didn't feel very reassured.

How would it look to the judge that the kid he was supposed to be looking after had a meltdown before he could even be interviewed? Surely they were going to put that in their report. How could they not?

When the two social workers were gone, Sonic leaned against the front door with a sigh, his foot tapping a mile a minute as his heart continued to race. He needed to run. Glancing down the hallway, his ears perked up as he heard movement from just beyond Tails's door. Sonic watched it for a moment, waiting to see if the little fox would show himself.

It was still the right thing to do, to not force him. It sucked, sure, but it was the right thing. He knew that. Even if it made him itch with the fact that this now had to stretch on even longer than it already had. That it'd be a strike against his case, even if it was the only thing he could do. He just wanted this all over with, but with the right results.

If they didn't say he could keep Tails after going through all of this…

With a sigh, Sonic dragged himself away from the front door and down the hall. He stopped outside Tails's door, tapping gently with the back of his knuckles. There was no answer, but he could hear rustling through the wood.

"They're gone," he said as a peace offering of sorts. "Can I come in?"

Seven seconds passed before he heard a grumbly little, "What's the password?"

Sonic clucked his tongue as he gave it some thought. "Uh… chili dogs?"

Another beat of silence, then the door eased open to reveal a fox kit on the cusp of abject misery. "What?"

"Wait, was that really the password?"

"No. What do you want?"

"Just checking on you, that's all."

"Okay."

Neither looked the other in the eye. Tails clung to the doorframe, both tails lying limp on the ground. Sonic watched them, but they didn't so much as give a little flick or flutter. 

"Do you want to… talk about it?" Sonic finally asked at the same time Tails asked:

"Can we leave this place already?"

Sonic closed his eyes. "No, bud-"

Tails nearly caught Sonic's foot in the door as he slammed it shut.

"Hey! Look, I know you're mad, but I'm trying here, okay? So could you at least try and work with me, Tails?"

"I refuse to work with someone who can only make dumb bot decisions like Robuttnik."

"‘Dumb bot decisions-'" Sonic cut himself off with a groan, fists clenching. "You know what? Fine. You're free to just stay in there and sulk if that's what you want to do. Though if you get the urge to tinker with something, try screwing your own head on straight first. That'd be a huge help." Shaking his head, Sonic turned away from the door. "I'm going for a run. Maybe I'll finally have some of that fun you're so convinced that I'm having without you. I'll be back later."

"I don't care."

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Sure you don't."

"Go away!"

"I am. I'm leaving right now."

"Good!"

"Great!"

"Fine!"

"Fine."

Tails flung open the door so he could yell down the hall, "I already said fine!"

"And I wanted to say fine, too! You don't own the word," Sonic pointed out.

Tails slammed the door again and Sonic's ears flattened at the jarring noise. And the jarring feeling of being shut out. Shaking his head, Sonic left out the open balcony door, shutting it behind him before vaulting off it. He landed in the springy grass, felt the ocean breeze ruffle his quills. He looked up, picked a direction, and ran.

Maybe in a few hours the kid would cool down enough for them to talk.

Chapter Text

The first thing Tails did was find exactly where Sonic hid the microwave and all the parts he'd been working with. It was going to take forever to reorganize them, but the little fox painstakingly went through each screw and wire as he spread out his work over the entirety of the living room floor again. Then he picked the lock of the cabinet so he could fetch his tools, sighing at the mess Sonic had made of them in his haste to hide them away.

But even when he had everything he needed, he wasn't really in the mood to tinker.

Tails sat on the floor amidst the microwave's remains, uncertain where to go from here. Eventually he flopped backwards, only for a spanner to dig into his spine. He sat back up with a huff, then spun his tails to fly his way over to the couch. He dropped down with a light bounce, laying down right in the center of the cushions.

His stomach still hurt. His chest did, too, but it wasn't something antacids from the pharmacy could fix. He wasn't sure what could fix it.

Normally Sonic would figure something out. Normally being around him was enough to at least help him feel better, even if the physical symptoms weren't technically assuaged. But things hadn't been normal for a while. He wasn't sure they'd ever be normal again.

There were a few weeks, towards the end of winter, where they went on a couple of day trips. Where Sonic didn't disappear for hours on end and leave Tails with only the Tornado for company. Not that she was bad company by any means, but there was only so much maintenance that she needed and Tails didn't have all the parts he needed for the upgrades he was considering for her. 

One of the day trips had been to pick up some supplies from the junkyard, the two of them collecting whatever seemed salvageable to bring back to the workshop to see what Tails could make of any of it. One of the first projects he tackled when the weather warmed up was a water-powered generator out front to power the whole house. It was much more efficient and environmentally friendly than what the building had come with, and didn't even make that much noise.

He also built a viewing platform on the very top of the workshop. There was a dome that resembled an observatory and was a really nice spot to watch the stars from. He'd noticed that Sonic would stand up on the roof sometimes, so Tails thought having a proper platform would make him happy.

Every project he did around the workshop was meant to make Sonic happy. For some reason he wanted this place, so Tails initially thought he'd do his part to make it into the best base of operations that he could. But even with the additions he'd made, Sonic still didn't stick around much. He was still always busy.

They went up to Angel Island a few times in the past few weeks, too, and even took Amy with them a couple times since she was interested and curious to learn more about Knuckles. It had been fun. They all went sledding up at Ice Cap, and even though Knuckles complained about them being there the whole time, Tails saw him smile a couple of times. Mostly whenever Tails and Amy managed to hit Sonic with a snowball, but it still counted. 

They also just hung out in the jungles near the Master Emerald's shrine for a reprieve from the cold. Sonic wasn't used to being in snow all of winter, and by proxy, Tails wasn't either, though he certainly adapted to it better with his thick fur coat. So Sonic would find a tree or stone warmed by the sun and settle in with a book until he inevitably dozed off, usually only for about twenty minutes or so. That in and of itself wasn't too unusual except…

"He seems… different," Knuckles observed quietly, self-aware enough that speaking too loudly would obviously wake the light sleeper.

"What are you talking about? He's not different," Amy whispered back. "He's still the same Sonic we've always known and love!"

Knuckles scoffed. "Speak for yourself."

"I think Knuckles is right," Tails piped up. "He's been acting really weird lately- uh, well, weird for Sonic, that is," he corrected when Knuckles raised an eyebrow, silently implying he was weird by default.

But Amy was quick to jump in. "It's probably just this time of year."

Tails narrowed his eyes as he looked at her, tails twitching irritably. "He's never acted like this before. I've been with him for two other winters. This isn't normal."

"What do you mean?" Knuckles asked. "How has he been acting around you?"

"He disappears for hours some days. And we've been stuck in one spot for forever."

"It's only been a few weeks," Amy clarified, garnering another glare from Tails. "What? That's hardly forever, Tails. Don't you think you're exaggerating a little bit?"

"No." His cheeks puffed up as he frowned at her. "I'm telling you, this isn't like him. Something's going on."

Knuckles shrugged. "I don't know. Just sounds like he's doing things without you now."

"Yeah, and that's weird!"

"Maybe he just wants some time to himself. That's not so unusual."

"You're the one that said he was acting different in the first place," Tails pointed out.

"Yeah, ‘different.' Not necessarily ‘weird.'"

"Well I don't think he's different or weird," Amy huffed. "I think he's just trying to get used to a new way of living and would appreciate some support from his so-called friends."

"I've never claimed to be his friend," Knuckles argued, distracting Amy from how much her dig hurt Tails's feelings. 

He'd been friends with Sonic longer than her. He was his best friend. If anyone knew Sonic better than anyone else, it was him. While Knuckles and Amy continued their back and forth, Tails slunk away to sit near Sonic. 

He was snoring a little, probably from the high altitude, and his book was open on his chest, arms flopped out on either side of him as he slumped against the trunk of a tree. Tails moved one just enough so he could curl up against him and pretend like they were just hanging out before making camp somewhere. He could pretend Sonic would wake up and stretch, poke fun at him for being so clingy, and then challenge him to a race to see who could collect the most firewood so they could start dinner.

Was he only kidding when he called him clingy? Did Sonic really want time to himself? Was he tired of Tails tagging along all the time? Did he call the social worker lady so she could find Tails a new home, like he'd done back when they first met?

Tails wasn't sure how long he laid on the couch, thoughts spinning through his head as the broken microwave taunted him with its blank digital clock face. The phone cut through the silence with a shrill ring. Ears perked, Tails sat up to look in the direction of the landline. He let it ring, trying not to get his hopes up as he waited for the caller to stick around for the voicemail.

The answering machine finally kicked on, and Tails watched the phone as it recited the greeting they'd recorded when they first set it up. "What's up? This is Sonic-"

"And Tails!"

"Obviously we're not here right now- or we just don't feel like talking to you!"

Past Tails's recorded giggles interrupted his brother, and present Tails's ears flattened against his head as he swore that he could hear Sonic's own smile in the spaces between his words.

"So leave us a message and maybe we'll call you back."

"If we feel like it!"

"That's right, keed. Anyway, this has gone on long enough. Gotta jam and juice!"

"Bye! Thanks for calling!"

"Hey, little bro. It's me. It's okay for you to pick up the phone."

Tails ducked further behind the couch, tails swishing anxiously as he frowned at the phone. There was a small pause, Sonic graciously granting him five whole seconds to answer the call, before he sighed.

"Still mad, huh? Whatever, that's fine. You do you, bud. Look, I'm sor-" 

Sonic's voice on the machine sounded stilted and Tails's ears perked up curiously, wondering if their voicemail was faulty or if he really did stumble over his own words just then. 

"I'm just calling to let you know I'm gonna be out later than I expected. I ended up all the way out past Empire City, and heard from some of the locals that there might've been a few rogue badniks spotted in the area, so I'm gonna check it out while I'm over here. You just stay put, okay? There's still some leftover chili dogs in the fridge. They'll be cold, but I guess that's what you get for taking apart the microwave."

Tails stuck his tongue out at the phone.

"Remember to brush your teeth before you go to bed and keep all the doors and windows locked. Got it? Good. Gotta speed, keed, but I'll see you around."

There was an odd pause before the message ended, but then Sonic was gone and the little red light on the phone started blinking to signify they had a message waiting. Well, he'd already heard it, he didn't need to listen again even if the house's sudden silence was unsettling in the absence of Sonic's voice. Tails belly flopped on the couch, face buried in his cushions as he whined. He hated this place.

 I'll see you around. Not I'll see you tonight or I'll see you in the morning or even a sleep well. Sure he wasn't expecting any mushy stuff from Sonic, he knew better than to even hope he'd get an I'll miss you let alone an I love you. It just went without saying…

Except maybe he didn't say it because it wasn't true.

Tails sniffled and pressed his face even harder into the couch cushions in an attempt to stop the tears that were determined to bubble up. He doesn't want you. He's going to leave you here. All alone.

Behind his closed eyes, he saw flashes of a forest and an empty, little cabin. Tails sat up quickly, shaking his head to chase the images away. He didn't want to think about all the empty space and sparse furniture and being so alone.

Waiting again.

Tails curled in on himself, lacking the protective spines for a proper shield, but taking comfort in balling himself up in the corner of the couch nonetheless. There was too much space here. Their meager furniture didn't even begin to fill a fraction of it. Sonic had a list of things he still planned to get, but it was going to take time, he'd said. They had to save up.

Unless he's not planning to buy any more furniture, if he's not planning on staying.

Tails didn't want to stay here either. Why couldn't Sonic just give them what they both wanted and go back to how things used to be?

Because he doesn't want you there.

"That's not true," Tails mumbled from his ball.

If he did, he would've taken you with him.

"S'not true."

He said you're ungrateful.

Tails lifted his head, blinking tearfully into the living room, the late afternoon sun washing over the floorboards and glinting off the pieces of metal and tools scattered about. He didn't have a retort for that. Sonic had said that he was acting like an ungrateful brat. He'd never called him something like that before. 

In context, he'd also said he knew he was better than that, but was he really?

The villagers from Emerald Hill always said his parents probably got rid of him first chance they could. Maybe it was because they thought he was an ungrateful brat, too. After all, if his own parents hadn't wanted him, how could he expect someone like Sonic to? Certified babysitter. Sonic couldn't even tell him the real story of how they met, he was always changing it or making it into a joke.

"You thought you were a bird!" Sonic would cackle over the crackling of their campfire as he told the version where he'd fallen out of a tree on top of him for the umpteenth time.

Tails would puff up his cheeks, pouting with all the indignation he could muster as he took the bait every time. "Did not!"

"What? Think I'd make something like that up?"

"Yes! That's not how it happened!"

"I dunno. I was there, little bro. I think I know better out of the two of us just how things went down."

"I was there, too!" Tails huffed.

Sonic smirked, far too pleased with himself. "Yeah, but who doesn't remember?"

"That's not fair!"

"Guess you'll just have to take my word for it- hey!" Sonic would then laugh as he'd inevitably be tackled by a ball of fluff. 

The tears turned angry as they spilled down his cheeks and Tails hiccupped as he furiously scrubbed them away with the back of his hand. He never felt like this before they got the workshop. Back then Sonic never yelled at him for no reason. On the rare occasions where he did get yelled at, he knew exactly what he'd done wrong. And if Sonic needed to leave him somewhere for a little while, he always explained why. 

Things had been perfect before.

Tails wished they'd never come to the Mystic Ruins.

So why not leave?

Tails frowned. Sonic said they couldn't, that they had to stay here now for a while. 

You could go. On your own.

Tails grabbed onto one of his tails, picking at the fur as he considered that possibility. Sonic said he wasn't supposed to wander off without permission. That he could get hurt or lost.

Sonic also said not to take apart anything valuable, and you did anyway.

Tails glanced at the jumble of parts strewn across the floor of the living room. "I wouldn't call that valuable."

You know what he meant. Don't play dumb.

True. He knew exactly what he was doing when he decided to mess with the appliances. He wanted to wring a reaction out of Sonic. And it worked. His ears drooped as parts of their fight came back to him again.

"You have a whole workshop downstairs to make a mess in, Tails! That's the whole point of it!"

Tails picked up his screwdriver and held it close to his chest. If the whole point of the workshop was for Tails to leave his tools and projects in, then what was the point of the rest of the house? 

The house is where Sonic can leave you so you're out of the way, too. 

Something tugged at the very back of Tails's memory banks, from long before he could remember anything. He knew this feeling. If he wasn't wanted around anymore, he'd rather Sonic have just told him straight. He didn't need to be left in a house in the middle of nowhere all on his own. If they didn't want him, they didn't have to keep him.

He could take care of himself.

Tails ran to the bedroom - not his room, he didn't want it - and ducked under the bed. He'd hidden his old blanket under there, snuggled with it on the nights he missed warm fires and Sonic's humming right beside him as they scanned local radio stations for something good. When he buried his nose in the blanket, he could still smell smokey campfires and earthy pine.

He wanted it all back.

Tails carefully folded up the blanket so it was nice and small, easier to pack, grabbed the flashlight he used to read at night with, then went across the hall into Sonic's room. In the closet he found the old backpack he'd carried their whole life inside. He dug it out and started filling it with the essential supplies, ticking off each item on the mental list he still remembered clearly. Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, soap, washcloth, first aid kit. They only had the one, so Tails opened it up and only took a couple things from it so Sonic would still have something in case he needed it.

There were quite a few things of Sonic's he was going to have to take, like the portable radio. He felt kinda bad for taking it when it belonged to Sonic first, but he'd need it for weather forecasts. Hopefully Sonic would understand. He only slowed down in bad weather for Tails, after all. Just another thing he wouldn't have to worry about anymore.

In the kitchen, Tails took his bowl, his plate, his set of bamboo utensils, and his cup with the chip in it. He'd felt bad for it when he saw it in the thrift shop. It was broken and no one wanted it because it didn't look right. But it could still hold water. It could still be useful.

He also packed up a few things to eat, too. He wouldn't take much, he'd leave stuff for Sonic, of course, so he took only one can of chili and the two plain hot dogs, leaving the leftovers from lunch for Sonic's dinner. He also took their little camping pot so he could heat up the chili beans. It was the only pot they had at the moment. 

Tails glanced guiltily at the pieces of the microwave still on the floor. He should probably put it back together before leaving. Sonic would need something to be able to cook with besides the oven if Tails was taking the pot, even if he wasn't planning on staying here for much longer either. Grabbing his screwdriver, Tails sat himself down on the floor and started putting the pieces back together. He couldn't spend too long on it though, he'd need to find a good camping spot before it got too dark.

Testing half a can of chili in it, Tails couldn't help the flicker of satisfaction when he calibrated the reheat button to get it to the perfect temperature throughout. Not a cold spot to be found. It was too heavy to lift onto the kitchen counter, so Tails left it on the living room floor with a note for Sonic. Even if they were upset with one another, he didn't want to leave without saying goodbye.

Speaking of saying goodbye, he knew he also had to say goodbye to the Tornado. Dragging the backpack down the workshop stairs with him, his heart was heavy as his gaze fell upon the biplane. Blinking back tears, he reverently brushed his hand over the smooth, red paint. Sonic was still emblazoned on the side, but there were also twin fox tails on the tail of it. Sonic had asked him if he wanted his name on the plane, too, after they left West Side Island, but it didn't feel right when it was Sonic's plane. He'd settled for the two tails, thinking it suited the plane and didn't take away from Sonic's name. 

They'd painted it together. Sonic took one tail and Tails took the other. Somewhere along the line it turned into a race, which escalated into a paint brush duel, and they both got covered in orange and white paint. Even though it meant an extra long bath and tangles in his fur, Tails remembered thinking it had been worth it.

He just wanted things to be like that again. When Sonic didn't snap at him or go away for long stretches of time. He wouldn't even tell him why. Or what he'd done wrong.

Rubbing at his eyes, that same too tight feeling gripping his chest, Tails quickly packed up some of his tools to take with him. He only had room for his favorites. The rest would have to stay in the Tornado's storage compartment or the toolbox upstairs. 

After zipping up the backpack, Tails tried to casually shrug it onto his shoulders the way he'd seen Sonic do hundreds of times before, but it was too heavy. He stumbled backwards a few steps, nearly overbalancing and toppling over. Finding his center of gravity, he steadied himself and tried again. It was all about leverage. This time it was more of a hoisting maneuver than an easy roll of the shoulders. The straps immediately dug into his arms, weighing him down more than he was used to.

Giving his tails an experimental whirl, he was able to get off the ground, but it was an awkward angle with the bulk of the weight on his back. It'd be easier to carry it around in his hands if he wanted to fly. He'd keep that in mind.

Squaring up to face the workshop's door, Tails spared the Tornado one last look over his shoulder. In here, with the plane, it didn't seem so empty, but he knew the house lurked just above it. He wasn't going to be left in an empty house again. 

He closed the door behind him and locked it with the spare key Sonic had hidden under a rock. He put it back where he found it, even if he thought it was a pretty dumb place to hide something as important as a key, but apparently that was just what people with homes did.

Taking a deep breath, fists clenched tight around the straps of the backpack, Tails turned away from the workshop and took in the world ahead of him. "I can do this," he said to himself, glancing up at the sky. 

It was somewhere around five o'clock, he guessed. The sun would be setting soon, so he needed to cover quite a bit of ground. If he was too close to the workshop, then there was a chance Sonic might find him and make him go back.

If Sonic wanted to find him.

Tails started down the steps, tails sweeping the ground to cover his footprints in the dirt out of habit. We always cover our tracks, keed, just in case old ‘buttnik's got his goons looking for us. Glancing around at several of the crevices that led to different parts of the ruins, he debated which way to go. He and Sonic had explored a little bit since coming here. There were some pretty cool plateaus further up in the mountains, tunnels that went on for ages via mine carts, and miles and miles of jungle.

As much as he liked the wide open expanse of the plateaus and as much as he wanted to explore the mines, neither had the potential for getting him very far. The jungle was his best bet. Tails was familiar with jungles. He and Sonic had camped out in their fair share of tropical overgrowth. He knew how to handle that kind of environment. It was exactly what he was missing.

During one of the afternoons where Sonic had been gone, Tails found a nearby crevice in the mountain wall that led to - what he liked to call - a secret entrance to the jungle. It wasn't so much a crevice as a giant split in the mountainside, likely from an earthquake from years ago or perhaps a side effect of volcanic activity. The red mountains supposedly had a volcano that lay dormant, but he and Sonic hadn't had much time to explore that area.

Maybe one day he'd come back and check it out.

Tails picked his way over rocks and through overgrowth until he made it through. Adjusting the backpack, he was immediately met with the hum of insects and chirping of flickies high in the trees above. He let out a breath, the familiarity washing over him instantly.

This was what he wanted.

Tails continued through the jungle, mindful of each step he took as he went further and further into the trees. It almost didn't matter that the sun was still up, the jungle dense and fully shaded by the canopy of leaves overhead. Tails entertained himself by coming up with fake names for some of the plants he didn't recognize. It was a game he and Sonic played sometimes, trying to come up with the most ridiculous sounding names to make the other laugh.

He'd have to think up some new games.

As he walked, he became increasingly conscious of the weight on his back. He had to stop and adjust the backpack several times, annoyed with the way the straps sometimes caught and tugged on his fur. He tried taking it off after about an hour, holding onto the straps in the same way he'd hold onto Sonic's arms as he flew him around. His tails spun and he was able to cover a lot more ground in the air.

Unfortunately, in the same way carrying Sonic depleted his stamina pretty quickly, he could only carry the backpack so far before he was tired. He touched down a couple of times to catch his breath, then continued on as best as he could until the sun had definitely set, shrouding the jungle completely in darkness. Tails set the backpack down and fished out the flashlight, using it to track down a good spot to sleep. He followed the sound of a river, wanting some kind of landmark to orient himself to for when he woke up. Plus, it was good to be near a source of water to wash up in.

Since he was by himself, Tails searched for a spot that would be decently protected on at least two sides. There were some large tree roots that were exposed and created a perimeter of sorts around the hollowed out trunk of a tree. Tails was able to fly over the roots and deduced that there was enough open air to safely build a fire. And if he slept inside the hollowed out tree, then only one side was vulnerable to being snuck up on.

He let the backpack flop to the ground with an exhausted huff. Sonic made carrying the backpack look so easy. Stretching out his arms and his back, Tails hoped it was something he'd just get used to after a while, the same way it didn't hurt as much as it used to when he first learned how to spindash.

He just had to build up endurance. He could do that.

Within minutes, Tails had a small campfire going and his blanket rolled out on the ground. His stomach grumbled noisily, so he set up the cookpot to heat up the chili. He also broke apart one of the hot dogs to stir into the chili for some extra protein. He was going to need his strength if he wanted to cover more ground tomorrow. 

Proud of himself for creating a perfectly suitable campsite, Tails placed his hands on his hips and took a moment to survey his work. Sonic would be proud-

Except Sonic wasn't here. Well, good. Tails didn't want him here anyway. That would defeat the whole purpose of being out on his own. 

Sonic would probably just be relieved he could look after himself now and he wouldn't have to bother with him anymore. Certified babysitter.

Tails sat down on his blanket and fished through the backpack in search of his bowl and spoon. His hand brushed against a piece of paper, ears perking at the soft crinkle. He hadn't brought any paper with him - which he was immediately regretting because it would've been fun to draw up blueprints and things while living on the road.

Tails took out the paper and held it up to the firelight to read. Declaration of Emancipation. Tails's brow furrowed as he read through the document. Sonic had gotten emancipated? The date was from a few weeks ago. Tails remembered Sonic coming back and sweeping him up for an impromptu ice cream party celebration somewhere warmer. He ran them all the way to Mirage Saloon in the desert. 

"Things are about to start looking up, little guy!"

Tails smoothed out the crinkles in the paper from it being shoved in the bottom of the backpack. What did Sonic being emancipated have to do with anything anyway? It had something to do with being free, but hadn't Sonic always lived that way? Tails would have to find a library with a computer at some point so he could look it up more. It seemed… strange. 

He gasped as the pot on the campfire started bubbling over. Tails flew over to it and carefully removed it from the heat. He used his tails to cool it down enough that chili beans weren't sputtering and spilling over the sides. They were a little overdone.

Tails sat back down and ate his dinner, listening to the hum of the jungle as it settled in for the night. There was the distant call of nocturnal flickies and rustling of leaves on the ground, but none of those things frightened Tails. They were the same sounds he'd always known. If anything it was the quiet that was most unsettling. Aside from thunder, of course.

Humming around his spoon, Tails fiddled with the portable radio to find a weather station. After scanning for several minutes, the closest he'd been able to get was a weather report for Mazuri, which wasn't close at all. He ended up switching to a radio station he knew by heart. It was one of Sonic's preferred stations that played the kind of music he liked. Tails made sure that no matter where they were, they'd be able to pick up that station in particular.

Sometimes, if they thought to bring along his guitar instead of leaving it packed up in the Tornado, Sonic would try to teach himself his favorite songs by playing along. He'd flash a smug smile as he nailed a particularly complex chord arrangement, only to grimace sheepishly when his fingers slipped and an unpleasant twang rang out. If he was feeling particularly charitable, he'd sometimes try and teach Tails how to play a few songs, but Sonic's teaching style and Tails's learning style didn't always completely sync up. It was okay though, he was fine just listening to Sonic play.

Tails set the radio down and finished his dinner. He took his bowl over to the river nearby and washed it out, leaving it, the utensils, and the pot out of the backpack to dry overnight. He thought about getting some water to boil for his bedtime tea, only to realize he'd forgotten to pack some. Well, that was okay. He'd buy some the next time he stopped for supplies. Once he had money, that is.

He figured he could make some money doing repair work for the towns and villages they used to go to. As he'd gotten older, Sonic had let him try to help a bit more to make money, and he was really good at fixing people's bikes and cars and irrigation systems. He'd packed some of his favorite tools just for that very purpose.

So no bedtime tea, but that was alright. He used the river water to brush his teeth, deciding to just get ready for bed while he was up. Then he could settle in and read some more of his library book before bed. He'd found a really interesting one on jet propulsion engines that he was eager to get back into. Someday he wanted to build his own plane, but wanted it to be different from the Tornado, so she wouldn't feel like she was being replaced. Something with its own strengths. He still had a week before he had to return it, so he'd make sure to make his way back to Station Square's library before it was due.

He left the music playing as he read, that and the crackling of the campfire exactly what he needed. He smiled to himself, the tightness and uncertainty that followed him throughout the house part of the Mystic Ruins workshop gone, just like he knew it'd be. As he finished a chapter, his eyes flicked up out of habit, looking over the top of the book and across the campfire.

He started when he realized Sonic wasn't there, then kicked himself mentally because yeah, of course he wasn't there. He was just used to seeing him on the other side of the campfire, lounging on his blanket with his eyes closed, but not asleep. One leg would be propped up by his knee, foot bobbing in time with the music on the radio and the chirping of the crickets in the night. If Tails stopped turning a page in his book or if the squeak of his screwdriver stopped when he was tinkering on something instead, Sonic's ears would twitch and one eye would crack open to see what he was up to. Then Tails would scoot over to him, eager to show off something cool that he'd read or what he was working on, Sonic happy to listen when it was just the two of them and the fireflies and crickets.

He didn't interrupt or take his tools away or leave him alone…

Except Tails was very much alone now.

His ears drooped, gaze dropping back to the page. With a sigh, he marked his spot in his book and set it aside. He laid back down on his blanket, tails wrapping around himself as he curled up. 

Except he had to put out the fire.

Tails frowned and sat up again, tails flicking as he considered the campfire. Sonic always put it out when he was ready for bed. Well, it couldn't be that hard. Tails got out his refillable water bottle and flashlight, then flew over to the river. It was probably for the best that he doused the light anyway. If there was anyone out here, he didn't want a beacon shining in the dark to lead them right to him.

It was really dark without the campfire though. Tails picked his way back to his blanket in the dark, ears perked and alert as his sense of hearing took over while his eyes adjusted to the sudden lack of light. He'd get used to this, he told himself. It would get easier. It was what he wanted.

But homesickness washed over him anyway, even when he was exactly where he wanted to be. Tails squeezed his eyes shut and hugged one of his tails. Just for tonight, he'd pretend Sonic was just a few feet away, listening to the music play on the radio while he waited for Tails to fall asleep. It wouldn't hurt to pretend for one night.

It would get easier. It had to.

It was late by the time he got home. 

He didn't know exactly how late though, since the microwave was still busted and hidden in the back of his closet. 

Sonic made a mental note to add "clock" to the ever-growing list of house essentials as he set a bag of Tails's favorite chocolate mints down on the counter, eyeing the blinking red light of the answering machine with a sigh. It wasn't much of an apology, but Sonic hoped the treat would cheer his little buddy up enough that they could actually figure out what was up. He also brought back pieces of a busted up badnik, the guilt over tearing into him for doing what he did best too much to bear. He didn't want him to think he couldn't take things apart ever, just… not when his guardianship depended on whether or not social workers thought a six-year-old should be dismantling electrical appliances.

After all of this was over, Tails could destroy all the microwaves he wanted.

He opened the fridge and took out the bag of leftover chili dogs. A frown creased his brow when he opened the bag. It was still full. Sonic glanced down the darkened hallway. Did Tails not eat?

Sonic looked at the answering machine again, chest tight and hold on the fridge door tighter. Did he not listen to the message and hear that Sonic wasn't going to be back for dinner? Did he think he wasn't allowed to eat? Because of some stupid fight?

He took another peek in the fridge, cringing at the lack of groceries, then a relieved sigh escaped him when he found an empty hot dog package on the counter. This kid was really putting him through it today, he mused, shaking his head. Cold, uncooked hot dogs didn't sound like the most appetizing of dinners in Sonic's opinion, but, then again, was it that different from cold, cooked chili dogs?

"You do you, little bro," he chuckled to himself, eating one of the soggy, cold chili dogs and putting the rest back in the fridge.

He slipped down the hall silently, feeling a prickle of satisfaction when he noticed Tails's bedroom door was open. Just as he'd thought, they both just needed a few hours to calm down and collect themselves. Sonic had done the right thing leaving him to his own devices to work through it. Now they could both approach this situation with clear heads. 

Sonic poked his own head through the gap in the doorway to check on Tails. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the dark, but some sort of feeling of wrong had already begun brewing under his quills. It was too quiet. The sheets on Tails's bed were in a tangled heap, but he couldn't make out head or tails of him at this distance. 

Sonic opened the door a bit more, distant light from the kitchen leaking in just a little. Just enough to see that the bed was very much lacking one little two-tailed fox. A relieved smile tugged at his mouth as he glanced over at his own bedroom. Even if the kid was still mad at him, at least he still wanted to be close.

Nudging the door to his own room open, Sonic fully expected to find a ball of fluff on the floor next to his bed. 

But his bedroom was empty.

That wasn't right.

"Tails?" Sonic turned on the light, scanning the bedroom just in case he was still up and went to hide when heard him come home. "Okay, little buddy. How come you're not in bed?"

He checked under the bed and in his closet, surprised to find the microwave and all its pieces were no longer shoved inside it. Sonic dashed back into Tails's room, conducting a full sweep of that as well, but turned up no sign of the fox. The bathroom was just as empty and no one was out on the balcony.

"Alright, Tails. Enough messing around, time for bed." He ran down to the workshop, his voice echoing off the metal and concrete, but there was no Tails and no microwave being tinkered on. "Tails?" He checked the cockpit of the Tornado, half-expecting to see him curled up on the seat at this point. "Tails?"

He dashed back upstairs. Sonic had all the lights on now, gaze darting from corner to corner as fast as his body moved while he checked under the dining room table and in the kitchen cupboards and under couch cushions-

The microwave was sitting innocently in the center of the living room. A new sheet of glass replaced the cracked one and the back panel had been re-affixed with all its insides accounted for. There was also a note stuck to the top of it in Tails's handwriting.

Sonic, it read, I fixed the microwave. I'm sorry I took it apart without asking. It should work better now. I made it so the reheat button is always at the perfect setting for chili. I hope that makes up for taking the cooking pot with me-

Sonic didn't finish the note, ran right into the kitchen and flung open the cupboard where the cooking pot was supposed to be. "No." He ran into his bedroom, nearly yanking the closet door off its hinges in his haste to open it once again, realization dawning that the backpack that had housed their whole lives for so long was gone, too. "No, no, no…"

Tails was gone.

"Tails!" Sonic raced through the house a second time, then out onto the balcony and up to the roof. "Little bro? Tails!"

He wasn't here. Sonic zipped back inside and grabbed a flashlight, glancing at the end of the note. His heart lodged itself in his throat as the words burned into his brain.

I didn't mean to be ungrateful. Thanks for everything. I'll be fine on my own now.

Tails

It was nearly pitch black outside, the stars and moon only giving off so much light as Sonic ran down the stairs leading from the house. He scanned the ground with the flashlight, in every possible direction leading away from the workshop, but Tails knew how to cover his tracks. He'd taught Tails how to cover his tracks so he couldn't be traced. Couldn't be found.

Heck the kid could fly. That was the easiest way of all not to leave tracks in his wake. There'd be nothing to follow if Tails took to the air.

How long had he been gone? A hour? Three hours? He hadn't listened to the voicemail, what if it was because he hadn't been home? That was at least five hours ago. Maybe six. He didn't know, he didn't have a clock. 

He could be anywhere.

"No, no, no, no. Come on, Sonic. Keep it together." But the flashlight's beam was shaking and he couldn't keep it steady. "Think. Where would he go? Tails! Buddy?"

He checked near the waterfall, ran through the open tunnels of the mines, zipped up to the windy plateaus Tails like to fly around at. He wasn't there. There was no trace of him. 

Sonic ran back to one of the entrances to the jungle. He didn't stop, bursting through the opening and sticking to a trail to avoid running smack into a tree as he sped through in a blur. His gaze flicked about in the dark, the flashlight only doing so much to illuminate the shadows of every tree and bush.

"I don't like living here! I don't even want to be here!"

He tripped on a root and went sprawling, face down in the dirt. 

Sonic pushed himself up on his arms, looking around for the flashlight. It had fallen a few feet away, pointing away from him into the depths of the jungle ahead. Sonic stared at it helplessly, the thick vines and overgrowth slowly closing in on him, constricting his chest as his mind raced through every possible reaction, every quick next step. 

Keep running. Take your time. Get to high ground. Find a river.

But this wasn't like fighting Eggman. Quick reactions meant nothing when what threatened him was invisible. When Tails could be… anywhere.

Sonic was on his feet, climbing up the nearest tree, leaping from branch to branch until he cleared the canopy and could get a bird's eye view. As he broke through the leaves, the night air filled his lungs as he took in the sheer expanse of the dark jungle surrounding him. It just went on… forever.

"Tails!" he called out, voice tearing at his throat so it would echo as far as it could over the trees. "Tails, answer me, bud!"

But he didn't.

So Sonic kept running.

It was nearly dawn when an insistent tapping outside Amy's bedroom window woke her up. Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she looked to her drawn curtains and debated the odds of a potential intruder taking the time to announce their presence before breaking in. She grabbed her hammer from her bedside just in case, dragging it and herself to the window.

The sun hadn't risen yet, so at first she didn't see anything when she pulled back the curtain. There was movement, so she squinted to try and make out the shape of it through the glass. She could sort of see the shape of… were those quills?

Amy flung open the window. "Sonic?"

"Ow-" he hissed, the glass smacking him in the face. "Amy."

"What's going on?" she asked. "Why are you at my window in the middle of the night-" Her own gasp interrupted her as she clutched at her heart. "Is this a clandestine midnight confession?"

"Amy," he said again, and this time she heard how strained he sounded. "Is Tails here?"

She stared at him, hearing the words but not quite registering just what he was implying. "What?"

His eyes were wide and pleading, every muscle of his body tense and coiled as if he was about to spring off the window sill he was crouched on. "Please tell me he's here."

Amy shook her head slowly. "I- no. Tails is missing?"

It was the wrong thing to say. Sonic's expression crumpled for a split second before he could school it into something resembling determination. "Yeah. Okay. Just thought I'd check here while I was in the area."

"I don't understand. Why would you think he was here?"

Sonic shrugged, looking for all the world like he was a second from bolting. "You're someone pretty familiar to him now. I dunno. Maybe he'd feel safe coming to you."

"He… left on his own?" Her tired brain woke up enough to fully put the pieces together from what Sonic was saying. "Why would he do that?"

"How should I know?" Sonic snapped, then hopped down from the window.

"Wait!" she hissed, leaning out the window to try and stop him. "You can't just tell me Tails is missing and then run off!"

"I don't have time to stand around and do nothing, Amy. I've got to find him."

"Where else have you checked?"

"Plenty of places." Sonic eyed the still dark sky, the stars fading as the sun prepared to rise on the horizon. "But I've got plenty more to check. I'm sure he's at one of them. I'll find him. And I'll be back later with an update. Sorry for waking you."

Amy shook her head. "It's fine. Call me if you find him, okay? I want to be sure he's okay."

Sonic nodded, giving her a thumbs up. "Can do. And if he shows up here, for whatever reason…"

"I'll let you know and won't let him out of my sight," she promised.

Then she blinked and he was gone, resuming his search once more. Amy craned her head out the window to look around, checking what she could see of the neighborhood for any sign that a two-tailed fox had been lurking around. Eventually she closed the window and slipped back into bed, but her mind was fully awake and spinning through possible scenarios that would lead to Tails running away from home.

A few hours later, when daybreak came with rain clouds and an ominous electricity to the air, Sonic stood on her doorstep once again, looking for all the world like he was the one who was lost. "I can't find him."

Amy squared her shoulders and nodded firmly. "I'll get my coat."

Chapter Text

It wasn't the first time the Tornado showed up at his threshold unannounced, not even the second or third, and Knuckles was starting to wonder if this was going to be his life now. He'd been conducting his morning perimeter check when he saw the plane soar overhead - flying a little low, he noted - and heading straight for the Master Emerald. Gaze narrowed, Knuckles cut the rest of his rounds short in order to head back.

While the hedgehog and fox might have helped him in the past, that didn't mean he was just going to leave the Master Emerald alone in their presence. When he arrived back at the shrine, however, he was surprised to see that it wasn't just Tails who'd accompanied Sonic this time, but also the pink hedgehog, Amy Rose, who was sitting alone in the cockpit of the plane. Knuckles's hackles raised, fists clenched tight as he strode up to it, of course parked as close to the steps of the Master Emerald's shrine as possible.

"What are you doing here?" Knuckles barked out, a quick scan revealing that neither Sonic nor Tails were in sight.

Amy squeaked out a gasp, eyes wide as they snapped to him. "Oh, there you are! Sonic's looking for-"

"Knuckles!" A rush of wind ruffled his fur and the blue hedgehog suddenly stood before him, looking a bit more frazzled than usual, quills messy and green eyes wild with an excess of energy. 

Knuckles didn't lower his fists. "What happened to you? You look terrible."

"Is he here?"

Knuckles raised a wary eyebrow. "Who? Robotnik?"

"What? No. Tails," Sonic said, and Knuckles realized the frantic energy radiating from the hedgehog wasn't because he was gearing up for a fight.

"You haven't been here more than ten minutes and you've already lost him?" Knuckles tsked, crossing his arms. "I guess that's not surprising."

A fire filled Sonic's eyes in a flash. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. This can't be the first time you've misplaced him."

"‘Misplaced him,'" Sonic echoed incredulously. "You don't just misplace kids, knucklehead. That's not how it works."

"Forgive me if I don't trust the word of the one who's missing their charge."

Sonic growled under his breath, hands scrubbing through the quills atop his head to muss them up even more. "He ran away, okay? I was just wondering if he flew up here to hide."

Knuckles blinked at him. "But you have the plane."

"And? He can fly without one," Sonic reminded him.

"Not to these heights. I've seen his stamina. Even with rigorous training, it would take years for him to reach the endurance needed to fly to Angel Island with only his tails." Knuckles frowned intently. "Why would you think he'd come here?"

"I don't know. Maybe because he likes you for some weird reason."

"With that logic, it'd be more likely that he'd be with you since he likes you more. For some weird reason."

Sonic's shoulders slumped, but his glower remained. "This was stupid. We're wasting time here, Amy, let's just go-"

Knuckles sighed, "When did he run away?"

"Sometime last night." Amy had exited the plane during the height of their conversation, carefully approaching them both. "Or late afternoon. He probably left before it got too dark."

"You weren't able to catch him?" Knuckles asked, curious as to how someone that claimed to be the fastest thing alive would let him get too far.

Sonic scuffed his shoe against the stone pavement. "I wasn't there when he left." It was jarring, Knuckles reflected, to see the blue hedgehog looking so… remorseful wasn't quite the word. Was it guilt? "We had an argument. I went for a run to give us both time to cool down. When I got back… he was just gone."

"Do you think he went for a walk to cool down, too?" Knuckles suggested. "Maybe he got lost."

Sonic shook his head. "He left a note."

"Oh." There really wasn't much else he could say to that. "You must've really pissed him off."

"Yeah, I kinda got that." Sonic glared at him.

Amy glanced between the two of them. "Look, Knuckles, you're good at finding artifacts and secrets around Angel Island, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Do you think you could help us try to track down Tails? Sonic's speed can get him to cover a lot of ground, but it's easy for him to overlook some spots."

"I can see everything just fine, Amy," he grumbled, arms crossed as his ears drooped. "Tails just knows how to cover his tracks. And it probably doesn't help that he knows me and how I'd look for him."

Amy let him say his piece, then looked to Knuckles. "It's easy for him to overlook some spots."

Knuckles couldn't quite fight back his smirk, much to Sonic's offense if his disgruntled harrumph was anything to go by. "I am a pretty skilled treasure hunter. I could give it a shot. But I'm sure the kid's fine. He's tough."

"It's not about being tough," Sonic said. "Obviously he's more than capable of handling himself out there. That's not the issue here."

"Then what is?"

Sonic couldn't look him in the eye as his voice lowered. "I'm trying to get guardianship over him."

Knuckles blinked, stunned into silence for a moment as he considered the brash, reckless, free-spirited, and cocky hedgehog in front of him. "You'd make a terrible guardian."

Sonic looked like Knuckles punched him in the gut and Amy stepped up with her hammer raised. "You take that back! He's been doing great with Tails until now!"

Knuckles didn't even flinch at the sight of her hammer ready to crack down on his head. "It's got nothing to do with how he is with the kid."

Amy stilled. "Then why did you-?"

Knuckles turned his attention back to Sonic. "Do you understand what it means to be a guardian? To devote your entire life to ensuring that the one thing you've been entrusted with is safe and secure above all else? Your wants don't matter. You can't abandon your duty on a whim. Your purpose is to protect and keep careful vigilance over your charge. It requires discipline and patience and acceptance that the mantle you've taken up is worth any and all sacrifice."

Sonic stared at him, and actually looked as if he was listening to him for once. He was quiet, expression even considered solemn for a split-second before determination set in the firm line of his mouth. 

"Yeah," was all he said, but it was all he had to.

Knuckles knew he meant it.

"Fine," he sighed. "I'll help you find him."

Both Sonic and Amy's eyes went wide. "Really?" Sonic asked, "But what about-"

"The Master Emerald should be alright for a few hours." Knuckles rolled his shoulders and neck, cracking out the tension that had gathered there for this whole encounter. "I can give you that much of my time."

Sonic flashed him a wry grin. "How generous of you."

Amy nudged him hard with her hip, then smiled at Knuckles, the urge to hit him with her hammer all but forgotten. "Thanks, Knuckles! We really appreciate it!"

"Yeah, yeah." Knuckles followed them to the Tornado, though he was stopped in his tracks as he watched Sonic help Amy up into the cockpit of the plane. "Don't tell me…"

"The wing's all yours, buddy!" Sonic called out as he squeezed into the seat beside Amy. "Just hold on tight and you'll be fine!"

Knuckles shook his head as the propeller began to whirl. Sonic the Hedgehog a guardian? It still sounded like the punch line to a bad joke, and Knuckles knew his way around a punch.

It had been a fitful sleep.

After weeks of sleeping on a bed, the ground was a lot harder than he remembered. Tails twisted and stretched, muscles stiff and sore from carrying the weight of the backpack for several hours straight and then sleeping in a position that wasn't exactly the most comfortable. He'd been on high alert all night, occasionally jerking awake when sounds got too close. Not because he was scared. He wasn't scared, he just needed to be on his guard. That was all. 

There could be thieves or badniks lurking in the jungle. He'd thought he'd heard his name being called once or twice, and remembered a ghost story Sonic told him about spirits that tried to lure kids away from their beds at night by calling for them. Not that he believed in ghosts or anything like that, either. Again, he wasn't scared, but he was also glad he'd been pretty well-hidden by the tree so in the event that it was a spirit looking to steal his soul, it obviously couldn't find him.

Tails got up and started packing up the campsite. He cleaned the remains of the campfire while the portable radio told him the day's weather report. He'd finally found Station Square, which couldn't be too far away still. He hadn't covered nearly as much ground as he'd wanted to the day before. In any case, his ears perked up high and his fur frizzed a bit at the forecast.

Thunderstorms in the evening.

Tails looked up at the sky. It was definitely an overcast day from what he could see through the tree canopy, but that wasn't so unusual for spring. Okay. He knew this might be a problem. He didn't think he'd have to face a storm so soon after setting out on his own, but it would be fine. He wasn't one to back down from a challenge!

"I'll just find somewhere to take shelter for the night. I have the radio for music. I'll have my book and something to tinker on. It'll be fine," he told himself aloud as he turned off the radio and struggled back into the straps of the backpack. "I can do this."

The report on the radio had said it was nine in the morning. That was an early enough start for him to cover enough ground and find shelter somewhere. Following the river for a bit, he listened as the jungle quieted, all the animals sensing the change in the weather and hunkering down in preparation. Tails could almost feel the electricity in his fur, but he swallowed down his own nerves and pushed on.

When they had to face zones with a lot of water, Sonic powered through them. He didn't let his fear stop him from doing what needed to be done. Tails could, too.

His stomach growled noisily.

But first he needed to find some breakfast.

Poking around the bushes, he looked for berries that he knew were safe to eat, but none of them appeared to be berry bushes. So he set his backpack down and took to the trees. He flew from branch to branch until he found some under ripe papaya. He picked two that looked like were the closest to becoming orange, then hopped back down. He packed one in his backpack for later, his only other food now being a single uncooked hot dog, then used his sharp canines to bite through the greenish skin of the papaya. It wasn't as sweet as he liked it, and very crunchy, more like a cucumber than a fruit, but it was better than nothing. 

He ate all of it, then wrapped the seeds and remains in a cloth to compost later. That combined with the chili can he was holding onto for recycling, Tails was starting to see how the things he had to carry could add up. In the workshop, they had a recycling can and a compost box in the kitchen. Sonic had talked about maybe starting their own garden when the weather was warmer and they'd been trying to collect enough cans to get some money to buy new supplies for the workshop…

Tails put the compost cloth in its own pocket of the backpack. Maybe Sonic wasn't just going to leave him there. He shook his head quickly. Didn't matter! Tails was a free-spirit. He traveled where the wind took him. He didn't stay in one spot like a slow-mo. Certainly not so he could just be left behind again and again.

He'd have his own adventures. He was having one right now.

With a huff, Tails pressed on with renewed vigor. Determination and stubborn pride fueled each step as his trek took him further into the jungle and further from the workshop.

Until he got tired and had to take a break. The backpack was still pretty heavy.

Sonic had been right about one thing. Tails knew how to cover his tracks. Knuckles couldn't pick up on a trace of which way the kid went from the Mystic Ruins workshop - which he was surprised to see.

"When did you settle down and get a house?" Knuckles had asked.

"It's a recent development," Sonic grumbled in response.

Hands on his hips, Knuckles surveyed the land. "Hmph. He wasn't kidding when he said you guys were stuck in one place."

Sonic's ears perked up. "He said what now?"

Knuckles shrugged. "Last time you visited, he was complaining about how you were acting ‘weird.'" And maybe that had been a warning sign, he was now realizing. "He felt like you were pulling away from him," he added somberly.

"That's not…" Sonic frowned as his gaze turned towards the workshop. "That's not what was happening."

It felt like he was intruding on something, even if he'd been invited here by the hedgehog in the first place, so he turned to Amy and asked, "Did you know about this whole becoming a guardian arrangement?"

Her shoulders hunched up, eyes downcast. "Sonic didn't want to tell him, I… I guess it didn't seem like the best idea, but it wasn't my place to… I didn't know he'd get so upset about it."

"You told him nothing was wrong." Knuckles reminded her.

"Nothing was wrong," she argued back in her defense. "Things were just…"

"‘Different.'" All three looked at one another, the word heavy as it passed between them.

Amy sniffled suddenly, breaking the silence. "You're right. I should've reassured him better. Instead of just pretending everything was normal."

Knuckles crossed his arms with a grunt. "I guess, maybe, telling him Sonic wanted time to himself wasn't the best idea either. I forget he's just a kid sometimes."

"Me too," Amy agreed.

Sonic didn't look at either of them.

Amy approached him cautiously. "But kid or not, he's really smart, Sonic. I'm sure he'd understand everything you're doing if you told him."

"I know how smart he is, Amy." Sonic bristled. "I know him."

Knuckles flicked his gaze between the two of them. "She's not saying you don't, just that you maybe underestimated him-" Sonic cut him off with a fierce glare. "If you doubted his ability to process something, then you underestimated him, Sonic, it's as simple as that."

"None of this has been simple, knucklehead, that's the whole freaking problem!" Sonic whirled on him, nose to nose with the echidna in a blink. "He is so smart and so strong, but his brain never turns off. It goes around and around and around until his thoughts get turned inside-out and he worries about everything when he doesn't have to!"

"Watch it, hedgehog," Knuckles warned, though the urge to punch him despite him getting up in his face was surprisingly low. It was strangely reassuring to see him being the one to get worked up for a change. "You can't control how he feels."

"That's not-!" Sonic stilled, silent realization passing through his eyes. "No, that's not…"

Amy put herself between them, giving Sonic a bit more space to process. "I might not be a big sister, but from taking care of Cream, I do know it's important to reassure kids," she cut in. "It's not controlling how they feel, it's giving them a sense of security. Protecting them. Isn't that part of being a guardian, too?"

It was a valid point, he had to admit. Knuckles was mildly impressed with the argument, well-aware that of three of them, he was the least experienced with children. With people in general, really.

Amy turned back to Sonic. "I get where you were coming from. You just let it go on too long."

"Yeah, well, there's no use dwelling on it now. The only thing that matters is finding him," Sonic replied. "The rest is gravy."

"What?"

"What?" Sonic looked at Knuckles.

"Why are you talking about gravy? What does that have to do with this?" he asked.

Sonic stared at him. "It's an expression."

Knuckles narrowed his gaze. "It isn't a good one."

"Look, I didn't make it up," Sonic defended. "You can take it up with the metaphor police later. Can we just regroup here and focus?" 

"Good idea, maybe it is time we go to the police," Knuckles suggested. 

"Nope. No, that's a bad idea," Sonic fired back.

"How is increasing the number of people looking for him a bad idea?" Knuckles demanded.

"Because of the guardianship thing, I told you! If I tell the police Tails ran away from me, then I've basically just chucked any chance of becoming his legal guardian off that cliff right there and then all of this was for nothing!"

Knuckles shook his head. "That's ridiculous. They should understand that you're his family and that there is no separating you, regardless of whether or not you'd make a good guardian."

"Yeah, they should, but they won't." Sonic scrubbed his hand over his face, then his shoulders slumped under the weight of his own words and lack of sleep. 

"Right… fine. No police." Knuckles crossed his arms and looked around the cliffs of the Mystic Ruins. "Where do you want us to look first?"

Since Knuckles had already combed through the immediate area in search of clues, the three of them split up to check the surrounding zones he might've escaped to. Since he could glide, Knuckles took the red mountain while Amy took the jungle and Sonic the mines. With each passing minute they didn't find him, however, they were acutely aware that he could've been getting farther and farther away.

"Could he have taken the train somewhere?" Knuckles asked when they reconvened an hour later, after a fruitless search.

"I checked all the stations last night," Sonic replied.

"All of them?"

"What's with the echo? Yeah, I just said, all of them." Sonic crossed his arms. "Then I looked through Station Square this morning, just in case he decided to hide out there. But if he wants to get back to normal…" He tapped his foot as his gaze followed the railroad tracks again. "He'd probably head somewhere more like where we've camped before."

"But he took his library books," Amy reminded him. "So he must be close."

"Unless he thinks he can make it back in time before they're due," Sonic pointed out. "Which, unless he leaves the continent, he could probably do no problem."

"He's that fast?" Amy asked, having never seen him truly in action yet.

"‘Course he is." And Sonic still managed to sound proud even if it meant it would be harder to pin down his location. 

"We should split up and widen our search parameters," Knuckles suggested. "Though one of us should stay close by in case he returns."

Amy clenched her fists in determination. "I can check Station Square again. And I can put together some missing person flyers. Maybe someone saw him and could help point us in the right direction!" She looked at Sonic. "Do you have a recent picture of him I could use?"

Sonic turned his gaze skyward, then vanished in a blur and returned holding his wallet. He took out a long strip of four small pictures, the kind that printed out of photo booths, and handed it over. They were from Sonic's thirteenth birthday.

"You can cut me out of the one on the bottom," he said, pointing at the picture of Tails and him standing back to back, Sonic holding up one finger and Tails holding up two. "I have others, but they're… they're in a pocket in the backpack. So I guess Tails has them."

"Aw…" Amy pressed her hand over her heart as she looked over the different poses. "You guys are so cute."

"I think you mean cool."

"I said what I said."

"Can you use it or not?" Knuckles sighed.

Amy placed her thumb over Sonic in the last picture. "I think I can make this work. I can write up a more detailed description of him, like how he has two tails and how tall he is and his eye and fur color."

Sonic nodded. "That should work. Thanks, Amy."

It was decided she'd take the train back to Station Square to make the flyers and do a more detailed sweep of the city while she put them up. Sonic would head east while Knuckles ventured west to the coastline. Between the three of them, they were hopeful that they'd be able to track down the fox kit before the thunderstorm was due to hit the area. They could all feel its approach, the shift in the wind as darker clouds loomed in the distance.

Amy printed dozens of copies of the flyers, mindful where she put them up. The reason Sonic didn't want to go to the police was a valid one, outside of the fact that he didn't trust them in general. If he filed a missing persons report on the kid who he was supposed to be personally responsible for - for the kid he was trying to get guardianship of - it would surely get added to his case file. It would go to the judge alongside his petition and would possibly be considered a liability in the decision on whether he could provide a safe and healthy environment for a child.

His social worker couldn't find out about this. None of them could. 

So she steered clear of the county buildings, decently sure Tails would avoid anything that looked like a government building based on his history with them anyway. Amy handed them out at the parks, at the hardware store Tails liked to stop in on whenever he came into the city, and the library just in case he'd stopped there before trying to skip town. 

No one had seen him. Not concerned parents, not the hardware store owner, and not the librarian. She put up flyers on street corners, on coffee shop bulletin boards, and in the waiting areas of restaurants. Local boutiques she frequented were happy to take a couple to pass out to patrons and her favorite ice cream shop put one in their window. Ms. Vanilla took a few to pass around to fellow parents at Cream's daycare, and requested that if there was anything she could do to help, for Amy to please let her know.

She promised that she would, even if she didn't really know what else could be done. 

While she worked on Station Square, Sonic ran through open plains and deserts. He checked in on old friends, places he remembered Tails liking when he'd been little. The kid lit up like a lightbulb the first time Sonic took him to see a meteor shower in the canyons near the Sunset Desert. Sonic had wanted a spot free from light pollution, a place that was quiet, where he and the kid could just chill out and watch the show. Tails had eventually crawled into his lap, using Sonic's front as a backrest while they watched the night sky.

He'd talked all about the different stars and constellations, about black holes, asteroids, and comets until he couldn't keep his eyes open.

Sonic checked in with Professor Von Schlemmer and Professor Caninestein, the only two adults he knew Tails trusted, but they hadn't heard from him either. Not in months. They both volunteered to create a tracking device for him, if Sonic brought them some of Tails's DNA for them to analyze. Tails was starting to shed more now that the weather was warming up, so he'd be able to find tufts of fox fluff somewhere around the house. He agreed to swing by the next day if he still hadn't found him by then.

Knuckles focused on combing through the coastline, following the beaches and sand dunes for hiding places. If Tails wanted to avoid Sonic, sticking close to the largest body of water imaginable seemed like a clever tactic befitting the fox. He checked in a few coastal villages to see if Tails had made a stop for supplies there at all, but came up empty-handed each time.

When all three of them reconvened several hours later, Sonic was practically vibrating out of his skin. His arms were crossed tightly, as if he could physically hold himself together.

"When did you last sleep?" Knuckles asked bluntly.

"Doesn't matter. Okay, next locations we should focus on are Central City and Flicky Island. Tails loved it when we were there last, and the city might be a good place for Amy to put up more of those flyers-"

"I've got a better idea," Knuckles interrupted, and received a bland look for his efforts. "You said we couldn't go to the police, right? Because you want to become a guardian?" Sonic bit back any snark he might've wanted to unleash and just nodded. "What about private investigators?"

Sonic quirked his brow. "You mean like from those old school, cheesy detective movies?"

Knuckles frowned at him. "There's nothing cheese-like about them."

Sonic closed his eyes. "It's a figure of speech."

"I'm just saying I know a couple guys who might be able to help us out."

"You know people?" Sonic asked.

Knuckles ignored him. "They could look into this off the record." 

"Huh. I dunno." Sonic tapped his foot. "Sounds kinda shady."

"No more shady than you saying the police can't get involved," Knuckles fired back and there was a beat of silence while Sonic considered him.

"Okay. I'll give you that."

"It couldn't hurt," Amy said gently, clutching the last copy of the flyers she'd made in both hands. "Having more people helping us? Professionals, even."

The muscles in Sonic's jaw clenched, foot still tapping a fast-paced rhythm. "I can handle this. I can find him."

"Keep telling yourself that." Knuckles straightened his shoulders so he could hold himself to his full height in front of Sonic. "It's not going to get easier to find him the longer it takes."

Sonic's jaw clenched tighter as an unsettling grin flickered. "Where's the fun in it if it's easy?"

"You're the one who came to us for help," Knuckles reminded him with a snap. "Do you want it or not?"

Sonic quieted, the wind ruffling his quills as the storm clouds continued to blow in from the sea. It rippled through the grass, an echo of the ocean's roiling waves leading into the mountains. Somewhere, the same wind had reached and ruffled a little fox's fur, too, as he trekked through the wilderness on his own.

"How far are these detective friends of yours?"

It was decided Knuckles would go in first to explain the situation without Sonic inevitably putting his foot in his mouth. He took offense to that, but Amy bought him a coffee and a chili dog to distract him. He hadn't eaten all day and it was well-past lunch, but even so, it went untouched in favor of the caffeine to give him a bit of a boost. Knuckles left them right outside the detective agency, the two hedgehogs still visible through the slats in the blinds once he walked into the lobby.

A crocodile sat at a scuffed up old desk, feet propped up on the surface as he flipped through a magazine, head bobbing to the beat pulsing through his headphones. Knuckles scanned the room as he approached the desk, taking in the chalkboard with "Chaotix Detective Agency" scrawled on it with a misshapen sun bearing a wobbly smile scribbled in the corner. Hollow file cabinets were clustered against one wall, and it was there a chameleon sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed in meditation.

"It's been a while, Knuckles," the chameleon said without looking at him, then flicked a small, shuriken star in the crocodile's direction, startling him when it embedded itself in the wall just behind him.

"What was that for-? Oh! Knuckles! Hey, long time no see!"

"Yeah. Vector, Espio," Knuckles said in greeting as he continued scanning the room, confirming the presence of only two detectives. "Just the two of you now?"

"We've downsized." Espio the Chameleon stood up, brushing dust off his lower half before leaning casually against the file cabinet.

"Actually there's still three of us left!" Vector the Crocodile cut in cheerfully.

Knuckles raised a brow at the two rolling desk chairs. "Oh."

Espio closed his eyes. "Charmy doesn't count."

"Of course Charmy counts!" Vector insisted.

"The bee?" Knuckles clarified, thinking back to the two little kids who tagged along when he first met the group.

"Yeah, the bee," Espio replied.

"Isn't he only… what, three?"

"We're showing him the ropes early." Vector waved him off.

"Got it." Knuckles glanced around the cramped, dimly lit office space. "Where is he?"

"Daycare," Espio said.

"So then, Mighty and Ray…?"

"They decided to go their own way," Espio confirmed. "Detective work just wasn’t for them. No hard feelings."

"Anyway, what brings you down to our neck of the woods?" Vector asked. "Last I checked, nothing gets you off that island unless it's big trouble!"

"I need a favor." Knuckles returned his focus to the task at hand, leaning against the desk. "I'm working with a couple people and we need to find someone and can't get the police involved."

"Oh?" Vector and Espio exchanged glances as the latter came up to stand behind the desk as well, the former grinning broadly as he said, "Okay, we're listening. Who are you looking for? Someone messing with that emerald of yours again?"

"Oh no. Nothing like that." Knuckles glanced back towards the window, where Sonic and Amy were still standing, just visible through the slats in the blinds.

Vector and Espio followed his gaze until the crocodile's jaw dropped. "Is that Sonic the Hedgehog?"

Knuckles sighed, "Yeah, unfortunately."

Vector jabbed his elbow into Espio's side. "If Sonic the Hedgehog's wanting to find someone, that could bring in some major cash! Can you imagine the kind of clients we could pull if we worked with Sonic the freaking Hedgehog!"

Knuckles looked disgusted. "Please don't talk about him like that in front of me."

"What, like I'm awesome?" Knuckles bristled as Sonic leaned against the desk next to him. "They're just spitting facts, Knux."

"I told you to wait outside."

"And you're not the boss of me." Sonic grinned at him. "I got bored, what did you expect?"

Knuckles shook his head. "And you wonder why I question your capabilities as a guardian."

"I don't wonder, actually. You already explained it earlier."

"Mr. The Hedgehog! It's an honor to meet you," Vector stood up fast, knocking his headphones off from around his neck as he reached out to offer him a handshake. "Vector's my name, and this is Espio. We heard you might be in need of our services?"

"Might be." Sonic flashed a congenial enough grin as he shook his hand in a fast, jerky motion. "Depends on how good you are at finding people."

"You've come to the right place. We're a couple of ace detectives. You got someone you need to track down, we're your guys!" Vector jabbed his thumb between him and Espio.

"I like your confidence," Sonic said, casting Knuckles a glance before he offered up one of Amy's flyers to the crocodile. "This is who we're looking for."

"A kid?" Vector blinked, letting Espio look at the flyer over his shoulder. "What could you possibly need with a kid? I think our services are a bit above looking for some lost toddler."

Sonic bristled. "He's not just some toddler!"

Knuckles cut in quickly. "This kid is a skilled pilot and mechanical engineer. He can hack into Dr. Robotnik's systems in minutes. He's smart and crafty. It won't be easy to track him down."

Understanding passed over the two detectives's faces. "Got it. So he's like a major asset to stopping that mad scientist guy from turning everybody into robots or whatever, right?" Vector asked.

Sonic’s jaw dropped, the hedgehog floundering for a moment as he stared blankly at them, visibly rattled by the conclusion they'd come to. "Well, yeah, but that's not the only reason. Not even the main reason." Knuckles, Vector, and Espio all turned to look at him as his own gaze dropped to the flyer on the detectives's desk. "He doesn't have to do or be anything to be worth looking for."

There was an awkward beat of silence. Though Espio's expression remained unreadable, another wave of understanding washed over Vector's face as he observed the young hero of Mobius. He had a charge of his own, Knuckles recalled. Perhaps it was a feeling of kinship. 

"Got it. Say no more, Mr. The Hedgehog. We'll take the gig," Vector assured him.

Knuckles tilted his head to one side while Sonic's ears perked up. "You will?" they said in unison.

"Yeah, don't sweat it! We'll find the kid. Like I said, we're not a couple of ace detectives for nothing! We'll even loop you in on our friends and family discount."

Sonic blinked. "Really?"

"Sure! Any friend of Knuckles is a friend of ours!"

"I never said we were friends," Knuckles said at the same time Sonic said:

"Right back at ya! Knuckles sure knows how to pick ‘em!"

Knuckles sighed. "I already regret this."

Vector took out a notepad and tapped the tip of a pencil to his tongue before settling in to take notes while Espio turned on their tape recorder. "So, where was the last place you saw him?"

After providing the Chaotix with as much detail as possible - and stressing the importance of keeping this out of the eyes and ears of law enforcement - the five prepared to split up outside the detective agency. The Chaotix were already mapping out their route, where they planned to hit up to scope out any news on runaways, a few ideas brewing between the two of them. Meanwhile, Knuckles, Amy, and Sonic were working out their own plan of action. 

Though not after Sonic nearly gave a fox child and his mom a heart attack when he zoomed up to them out of nowhere. He only caught a glimpse of a fox tail and red sneakers before realizing he'd definitely scruffed the wrong kid.

"I'm so sorry. Completely my bad," he assured the parent as he backed off.

"I think the coffee was a bad idea," Knuckles mused, watching the way Sonic fought back twitchy muscle spasms.

"I can hear you," he piped up, fingers drumming out a rapid rhythm against his arm. "I'm fine. Just, going through the whole story again got me-" Thunder rumbled in the distance and all three of them turned to look towards the approaching storm. "Shit."

"I'm sure he's found some kind of shelter," Knuckles assured him.

"Yeah! He took the radio, right? So he could listen to weather reports?" Amy asked.

"Yeah…" Sonic mumbled, eyes never leaving the darkened sky.

Knuckles and Amy exchanged glances, the pink hedgehog placing a hand on Sonic’s shoulder while the echidna glanced towards the Chaotix. "Maybe you should sit down for a second, Sonic," she suggested in a tone that indicated it wasn’t actually a suggestion.

"There's no time to sit-"

"You've been going non-stop for hours," she cut in. "Go sit. We'll be right there."

"Amy-"

"I'm not gonna ask twice." She whipped out her hammer, fixing him with a look that dared him to try her.

Sonic's quills rose in alarm, gaze mutinous as he backed away from her, skulking off to a nearby bench overlooking Emerald Coast. He sat himself down, arms crossed tightly as he glared at her, foot tapping as he took a moment to point to his wrist, like he was wearing a watch.

"He really is a child," Knuckles mused.

They all were, honestly, even the two detectives they were working with were far younger than she'd anticipated, though Amy didn't correct him. "So what are you thinking of doing next?"

"I'm going to head out with the Chaotix. See what sort of leads they get so I can report back to you," Knuckles told her, nodding towards the two so-called detectives. "And if they find Tails, he might be less likely to get spooked and run if he sees a familiar face."

Amy tried for a smile as she pointed at Knuckles. "Just don't be making that face when you find him. Kinda scary."

His gaze narrowed further, the crease between his brows deepening before he realized it, then closed his eyes and made a conscious effort to relax. "What's your next move?"

"I was thinking I'd print some more flyers..."

Knuckles's shoulders sagged. "He's not in Station Square, Amy. We've practically turned it upside down."

"I know," she said quickly, clasping her hands in front of her as she looked away. "But someone might've seen him somewhere else. They might recognize him and could at least point us in the right direction. You never know…"

"He's a smart kid. If he doesn't want to be found, he's not just going to let random people catch sight of him. He knows he stands out."

"I have to try." She squeezed her own hand tightly. "Whatever I can do-" Amy lifted her gaze so he could see the determination glistening in her eyes, meeting his stare head on with all the stubborn energy she had in her body. "I'm going to give everything I've got. I'm not giving up on him. I can't."

 They both couldn't help but turn to look at the unsettling sight of a stationary Sonic. His foot was tapping incessantly, but not in his typical impatient way of waiting for everyone around him to get with the program. The frantic taptaptaptaptap of his shoe against the pavement was a physical manifestation of the anxiety crackling beneath his skin. He was no longer glaring at them, his attention far away from the present moment. He sat on the bench, elbows now on his knees as he hunched over himself, quills quivering and stiff at his back. His gaze was fixated on the horizon off of Emerald Coast, staring straight into the oncoming storm gathering above the sea.

He didn't notice them watching him, their scrutiny not even a blip on his radar.

Knuckles sighed, "Make sure he at least takes a nap or something. It wasn't a joke when I said he looked terrible earlier."

Amy's lower lip quivered slightly. "I know."

"Call the Chaotix if you hear anything."

"You keep in touch, too."

She watched Knuckles break into a jog to catch up with the two detectives, then inhaled shakily before squaring up to face Sonic. He needed her to be strong. Tails needed her to be strong, too. Even if he left on his own, she couldn't imagine that it was what he actually wanted. He was just confused and scared, there was so much changing around him and he didn't know what to do. So he went back to what was familiar, for some sort of comfort.

But the only reason it had been a comfort to him in the first place was sitting on a bench at the beach, running on nearly thirty-six hours of no sleep and three shots of espresso coursing through his veins.

Amy sat down next to Sonic, smoothing out her skirt while she gave him a minute to realize she was there. He looked ready to bolt at the slightest touch, and even if he could run on water, sending him into the ocean wasn't exactly going to help the situation. Thunder rumbled in the distance and Sonic's foot stopped tapping. Both of them remained quiet as they watched for lightning.

Nothing yet.

Sonic groaned softly and dropped his head into his hands. "I feel like I'm losing my mind."

It was muffled, but she heard it well enough. "You're worried about him. It's okay."

"I've lost him before," Sonic continued mumbling into his hands. "It's not like he hasn't ever wandered off. He's gotten captured by Eggman or been separated from me by random automatic metal doors closing on us when going through one of his bases. He's been freaking shot down while piloting the Tornado, I mean-!"

He looked up then, looking every bit like the thirteen-year-old he was for the first time Amy had ever seen. Helpless and so in over his head. 

"But he never- he never wanted to go on his own. Not like this." Sonic's hands started trembling and he stared at them as if he didn't know the first thing to do with them, so he clenched them into fists. "He doesn't want me to find him-!"

"He does," Amy assured him, placing her hand over one of Sonic's to help steady him. "He's almost as crazy about you as I am," she tried teasing gently, though there was no reaction, so she pivoted. "But all this guardianship stuff is a lot. He's picked up on it and just… doesn't know what to do with those big feelings. He loves you, Sonic."

She could feel his fist shaking under her touch, but he didn't pull away. Instead his other hand opened, fingers curled like claws as they slowly unfurled. He stared at the center of his palm for several heart beats, then he covered his face with his hand, pressing the heel of it against his eyes.

"I just can't lose him. They can't take him from me. They can't- I won't let them-"

"So they won't," Amy said firmly as she squeezed his hand, believing if she held on tight enough, she could push her wholehearted belief into him, too. "You won't let them, Sonic."

"I won't." His breath trembled as he exhaled. "I won't."

"You won't," she echoed. "He's stuck with you for a big brother. Should've kept that in mind when he picked one with the world's sharpest quills. They snag on everything." She nudged his shoulder with her own and this time Sonic huffed a sharp breath out of his nose when he was jostled. 

It wasn't quite a laugh, but Amy would take it.

The thunder boomed again over the sea and they could see the tide going out faster from where they sat. "I know Knuckles told you to make me take a nap, but that's not happening."

"Yeah. Not right now, at least," Amy corrected as she got to her feet and dusted off her skirt. "We've got more flyers to print and I'm gonna need your help carrying them."

"Seriously? No you don't-"

"I need my big, strong Sonic to carry them for me!" she sing-songed at the top of her voice, attracting the attention of a handful of passer-bys behind them while she skipped away.

"Amy…" he groaned, but it got his butt off the bench at any rate.

"C'mon, don't drag your feet. You help me with this, then you can take a few and speed off to the next places on your list to check, and then we'll see about that nap. Deal?"

"I'm not resting until I find him."

It was subtle, that edge to his voice that wasn't super noticeable to the untrained ear. He had every intention of doing just that. Sonic's steadfast belief and almost endless optimism could very well be his greatest strengths that would help him persevere. But they could also be his downfall. Because not even Sonic the Hedgehog could force himself to keep running on sheer willpower alone, could he?

Amy closed her eyes, keeping that fear locked up tight in her heart, and sighed, "Why does everything have to be an argument with you?"

"It wouldn't be if you just agreed with me."

Chapter Text

He heard the thunder before the rain started.

Any hope that the radio had been wrong about the weather had died when the jungle was dark by four in the afternoon. The first rumblings had Tails's fur bristling and his feet frozen in place. Black clouds were heavy with the promise of rain, the chance of thunder and lightning growing the longer they lingered in the sky. Tails had weaved his way through the trees for the better part of the day, covering his tracks and struggling to get through the thick underbrush with the backpack catching on everything in his path and slowing him down. 

It also didn't help that his stomach was cramping and his throat was scratchy after eating that papaya for breakfast. He went through his entire water supply in an attempt to quell the irritation tickling his throat, but it still hurt every time he swallowed. Something like this happened when he ate too much pineapple once. The papaya hadn't tasted anything like pineapple, but he wondered if they shared similar properties, when he wasn't doubled over in serious stomach pain that is.¹

Sonic would be embarrassed to see him now. Heck, Tails would've been embarrassed for himself if he wasn't so focused on finding some kind of shelter that wasn't a tree. Trees attracted lightning, so he couldn't hide inside one of those. He'd learned that lesson early on. Sonic had always been good about going on ahead while they traveled, zipping through their surroundings until he found a suitable storm shelter for the night.

Zipping was out of the question for Tails, unless he wanted to leave behind the backpack somewhere, but with how dense and deep the jungle was, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to find it again. Any markers he could think to leave could possibly get washed away in the storm, and he didn't want to carve anything into the trees and hurt them. Usually when they were in the forest, Sonic told him to look for moss growing on trees to find north if he ever got lost somewhere, but in as dark and damp a place as this jungle was, moss was growing on every side of almost every tree. Everything was a dark, dark green.

"Oh…" Tails rubbed his stomach as another twinge of pain stopped him in his tracks. 

He'd brought some antacids with him, but they didn't seem to help at all. Other than that, he only had a couple of bandages and some disinfectant. Nothing that was super effective against a stomachache. Tails took a few steadying breaths, forcibly relaxing until the pain subsided, then kept moving.

The rain started to fall, the trees not offering as much protection as he'd hoped. It quickly soaked into the ground and made it hard not to slip the further he went. Tails stumbled under the weight of the backpack when the sky thundered once again and he fell. Breath hitching with a nervous gasp, he scrambled on his hands and knees through the leaves and mud.

A place to hide, he just needed a place to hide. 

Lightning flashed and cast tall shadows hidden in the darkest corners of the jungle. Tails cried out and the next boom of thunder echoed overhead. He pushed himself forward, gloves and knees quickly sinking in the mud until he bumped into an exposed tree root. Gripping onto it, he used it to pull himself back up to his feet. 

Tails started running, frantically pushing through thick vines and knocking into tree trunks. A terrified yelp escaped on pure instinct at the next lightning strike that split the skies. He clapped both hands over his mouth to hold back his instinct to call for Sonic.

He tripped again, sliding down a muddy embankment, dragged down by the backpack. The thunder roared in his eardrums, both ears flattening against his head as he squeezed his eyes shut. For a moment, he was stuck there, curling up in the mud as the rain pelted him from above and lighting split the sky in a cruel grin. 

Tails tried to hide from it. He didn't want it to see him. He didn't want anyone to see him.

"Help," he whimpered. "Sonic…"

"Over here."

Tails's ears twitched, teary eyes cracking open. "Sonic?"

He listened hard, but all he could hear was the steady downpour in between the angry, rolling thunder. Trembling, Tails's gaze darted all through the dark jungle, but the curtain of rain was too thick and it was too dark. Each time lightning flooded the area with light, he flinched, unable to see much more than the brush directly in front of him.

With another whimper, fear and pain waging a war within him, he curled back into himself.

"It's okay, little one."

He lifted his head again, the voice clearer this time. "Who's there?"

"This way. Follow my voice."

Tails hesitated, still searching the jungle for any sign of life. Then the thunder boomed directly over head, spurring Tails into motion. The weight of the backpack was still unnatural for him, so he shoved it off his shoulders. Grabbing onto it by the straps, he dragged it through the mud and spun his tails in the direction of the voice. 

"Where are you?" he called out.

"Over here!" the voice sounded even fainter, so Tails hurried to follow it. 

He tugged and tugged on the backpack strap, stumbling his way after where he heard the voice. A woman's, he thought. She sounded kind. Had he been thinking rationally, he might have considered that it could be a trap. Or one of those soul-stealing spirits Sonic told him about. But his head was spinning, dizzy and frantic with terror that propelled him towards anyone who sounded kind.

The mysterious person continued to call to him, encouraging him to keep going. The sound of their voice led him to a small, rocky alcove. It wasn't big enough to be considered a cave, but it was big enough for a little fox to tuck himself and his backpack inside for some shelter from the rain. He shoved the backpack in first, clambering in after it and scooting back as far as he could go. Tails looked around, but he didn't see anyone else there.

Shivering, he watched another flash of lightning illuminate the jungle outside. He hugged the backpack to his chest, just as drenched and muddy as he himself was, legs and tails wrapping around it as though it would be ripped away from him if he didn't. With hiccuping sobs, his gaze flitted around his tiny shelter, but didn't see any sign of anyone.

"Hello?" he called out weakly, only to clamp his mouth closed around a whine at another great boom of thunder. "Where did you go?"

But whoever he'd been following was gone. He was alone.

Breaths coming fast and shallow, Tails squeezed his eyes shut and hid his face against the backpack. 

Deep breaths, bud. There we go. You're okay.

Tails sobbed into the fabric and nodded, trying to slow his breathing. He could do this. He could do this. If he was going to live by himself, outside, he was going to have to learn to deal with this on his own. There'd been a time before Sonic, after all. He must've gotten by okay somehow. And he'd been even younger then.

He was older and smarter now. Six whole years old. He could fly a plane, he could help stop Dr. Eggman, he could dismantle robots and repurpose them into useful things. He was a genius.

"I'm okay," he gasped. "I'm okay. It's just- it's just-"

It's just what? What did the book say, bud? What's thunder?

"Thunder is just a- a discharge of- of electricity. Wh- when the air heats up from the lightning."

"That so?"

During Tails's second winter with Sonic, when they'd been on Angel Island, there'd been a day where Tails and Sonic had spent the majority of it hiding inside a cave system near Mushroom Hill. Sonic never liked to spend the whole day in one place, especially when Eggman was giving them grief in the form of an angry echidna, but the rain had been heavy and the thunder was loud enough that they could hear it echo through the tunnels. Tails's blanket was draped around his shoulders, his shaking body pressed against Sonic's side while he'd been trying to distract him by reading him a comic book, but had given up when Tails's attention was clearly elsewhere.

Sonic had tucked an arm around him, flashing him one of his classic grins. "What else did that book from the library say?"

"That when the air heats up, it- it makes it expand fast-"

"Like supersonic speed fast?" Sonic interrupted just as the next boom hit.

Tails's breath hitched around something that was half panic and half laughter. "Yeah. Yeah, maybe even faster."

"What? I'd like to see thunder and lightning just try and outrun me."

Tails laughed again, this time sounding more like himself even as he shivered. Sonic rubbed his side, like it was only because he was cold, and his smile softened in the slightest of ways. Tails could see it in his eyes.

"What happens when it expands fast?" he asked.

Tails swallowed thickly. "It creates a sound wave you can hear up to- to ten miles away from the lightning."

Sonic let out a low whistle. "Only ten miles? That's not so fast. I can definitely take it. No storm's gonna catch you as long as I'm here."

That wasn't what he meant at all, the distance the sound could travel and the speed of it were two different things, but Tails didn't bother correcting him. Not when it felt so much better to believe in his big brother. Besides, Sonic had proven time and time again that he could do anything once he set his mind to it. 

If he really had to, he probably could beat up the thunder and lightning.

But that had been a year ago. 

Lightning illuminated his little alcove once again, blue eyes wide as he fixated on the sky and trembled. Cold, muddy, and alone. Deep breaths, bud. Tails hugged the backpack tighter, curling around it as though he had his own defensive quills to protect himself. You're okay.

"You're okay. You're okay," he whispered the mantra to himself as the night grew later and the storm raged on.

A flash of lightning outside her bedroom window drew Amy's attention to the sky. Worried eyes looked past the raindrops mottling the glass, then dropped down to her cell phone. No missed calls or messages. 

With a heavy sigh, she looked out the window once again, searching the dark streets of Station Square for any flicker of blue against the rain. She knew it was too much to hope that Sonic was somewhere dry and warm, waiting out the storm until it passed. She hadn't heard from him since she'd forced him to take a few flyers with him before he sped off again, this time heading north.

There was a chance that wherever he'd run to, there were clear skies above him. And Tails, too. Wherever he was.

Amy shook her head, shifting her focus back to what she'd been working on before the lightning startled her. A four card tarot spread was laid out on her desk. A compass spread. It was normally intended to help one find direction in life, but she thought maybe - if she'd pulled the cards with Sonic's energy in mind - it could give her some insight into where they needed to go to find Tails. What their next moves should be, if Sonic didn't find him tonight. If Knuckles and the Chaotix turned up no leads.

If Tails didn't come home on his own. 

The first card was in the south position, its purpose to indicate the situation and emotions surrounding where the reader was coming from. It would've been better if Sonic had pulled the cards himself while Amy interpreted, but putting his trust in some pseudoscience that had people looking to forces outside their control for answers was the absolute last thing he'd do. He had a pretty firm stance when it came to tarot cards, fun in theory, but useless in practice.

The fool card stared up at her in the upright position. Though initially the idea of the cards calling Sonic a fool had her eyes narrowing, the meaning of the card was rather fitting. It was meant to signify a yearning for adventure, unbridled optimism, and perhaps even a touch of naivete. A free spirit, unbothered by the weight of concerns that affected much of the world.

The second card was west and intended to signify what was directly behind the reader. Two of her cards had been stuck together when she pulled for this direction, so she looked at both, trusting that they were equally important. The first was the three of swords in the upright position. 

Miscommunication and misunderstanding. She didn't know all that had been going on between him and Tails lately, just that things had been a bit rocky ever since Tails's sixth birthday. It wasn't too far a stretch to assume that instead of talking about what was bothering them, the two were just trying to get by like it was business as usual.

Amy frowned at the second card that had wanted to come along for the ride. The devil wasn't the worst card, by any means, but it didn't look good to think the devil's energy was at Sonic's back. However, it was reversed, which meant that whatever chains Sonic felt might be weighing him down were being dealt with, just that it might still take time to resolve the problem. An ‘it's darkest before the dawn,' type of situation.

Taking a deep breath, Amy flipped the card she'd had in the east position. This was the one she hoped would give them their best chance at finding Tails now. What lies in front of you.

Her breath hitched, the card slipping from her fingers. "Oh no…"

The tower. Upright. The image printed on the card showed a tall tower built of stone, something that should've been sturdy enough to withstand anything, but a bolt of lighting was striking the top of the tower and made it crumble. Two figures fell from it, heading towards the rocky precipice below. Lightning flashed outside her window once again, and she felt as though it was mocking her.²

What a hopeless looking spread. Amy's lower lip quivered as she took in the four cards that all worked together to create a rather bleak situation. 

She supposed a lost child was a bleak situation, but things didn't look good based off this reading. Her only hope was that since Sonic hadn't actually picked the cards, that the reading wasn't one hundred percent accurate. Or even fifty percent accurate. Her own worries might've muddled the reading, and for once she really hoped that was the case.

The north card remained unturned. Amy tapped her fingers on the desk, debating whether or not to even look if she wasn't going to accept this reading as accurate. But the curiosity was too strong, so she sighed and took a peek at the final card.

Sonic's next move he needed to make. 

Amy blinked in confusion. The two of wands reversed. Bad planning? Sonic needed to make a bad plan? Or was it saying everything they'd done so far was a bad plan? 

She mentally circled around several different interpretations for that particular card for a while until her eyelids were heavy and her head was starting to bob sleepily. Phone in hand, she left the cards on her desk and she took herself to her bed. She tucked her phone under her pillow, so in case Sonic called with news, she'd hear right away.

As she drifted off to sleep, the possible meanings of her compass spread spun in her mind, to keep her from thinking about how cold and lonely the two separated brothers might've been.

His quills were waterlogged, heavy with rain water, but the discomfort of being wet barely registered as he ran beneath a bolt of lightning. He could feel his fur standing on end, goosebumps prickling his skin, but he didn't stop until he entered the outskirts of Empire City and found a covered bus stop for shelter. The thunder caught up to him, rumbling all around him and Sonic swallowed down the irrational urge to shout back at it.

"You can't just give him a break, can you?" he muttered instead, glaring at the storm clouds pelting the earth with rain.

It didn't matter if Tails was clever enough to find suitable shelter somewhere. If he could hear the thunder and see the lightning, nothing would be enough to make him feel safe. There were things that helped, sure, but nothing that would completely chase away the fear in his eyes.

No longer moving to stave off the cold, Sonic shivered and rubbed his arms to create some friction to keep warm. But his gloves were soaked through, as were his socks and shoes, so the attempt was almost fruitless. 

Just like this entire search was.

Sonic remained standing as he watched the storm, waiting for it to lessen in severity before heading back into it. He'd raced through it for as long as he could before he was too close to the lightning, only stopping when he figured Tails would be well-hidden if he was this close to the storm, so it wouldn't do any good to keep searching while it was at its peak.

An icy grip clawed at his chest, squeezing around his racing heart as he forced his breaths to stay even. He was going to keep searching. He wasn't going to stop.

But isn't it his choice? Sonic's ears fell and he shook his head, eyes still locked on the sky. If he doesn't want to stay, who are you to stop him?

"I don't like living here. I don't even want to be here!"

"…I'm not going to force him to do this if it's upsetting him."

It was true, Sonic wouldn't force him if he didn't want to stay with him, if that was what he truly wanted. His arms wrapped around himself tighter. He just didn't know Tails had been so unhappy. He'd been so distracted with this guardianship stuff, he hadn't noticed how miserable the kid must've been if he thought running away was the only answer.

They'd bypassed code red entirely right into code black.

Another burst of lightning stretched across the sky. Sonic watched it through the glass roof of the bus stop, body tensing as he felt the ghost of a memory huddling against him. A furry head burrowing against his chest, every inch of him shaking, knowing the lightning and thunder could come at any second.

Tails was a tough kid who could definitely make it on his own if he really wanted to. Sonic just didn't want him to because he thought he had no other choice. Because he thought no one cared about him enough to look out for him.

"He's almost as crazy about you as I am. He loves you, Sonic."

They never really said as much, but then Sonic thought they never had to. Maybe he was wrong if Tails thought it wouldn't bother him that he wasn't around. Or maybe he was wrong for thinking he mattered more to the kid than he actually did. 

"The bus doesn't run this late, you know."

A low, feminine voice cut through the intrusive thoughts. Sonic hadn't even heard anyone approach him, so caught up in the storm - both outside and inside his own head. His head swiveled to find a mobian tightly bundled up in a trench coat, the belt double knotted, and an umbrella shading her face. He could see her ears though, and her wings where they cut through the back of the coat, and guessed that she was a bat of some kind.

"Not waiting for the bus," he told her. "Just waiting out the storm."

She tilted her head. "You're not from around here, are you?"

Not one to let exhaustion get the better of him, Sonic forced one of his crooked smiles. "What gave me away?"

"Willingly talking to a stranger in the middle of a dark and stormy night at an out of service bus stop," she replied, equally snarky, which he would've appreciated more in different circumstances. "It's late. What's a kid your age doing out here on a night like tonight?"

Sonic was pretty sure this bat girl wasn't that much older than him herself, but he didn't argue the point. "I'm looking for something."

"Must be pretty important if it can't wait for the storm to let up," she hummed.

Another bolt of lightning split the sky. "Yeah. It really can't."

She peered at him closely, and he let her. If she meant any harm, he could easily outrun her. "You know, I've got something of a knack for finding important and valuable things. Maybe I could help."

Sonic arched his brow. "Now who's sounding suspicious? You're not like an undercover cop or anything, are you?"

"If I was, do you really think I'd tell you?"

"Guess not."

A smirk played at the corners of her lips. "Is what you're looking for not entirely legal?"

Sonic huffed and shook his head, then offered up the single remaining crumpled up flyer he had on him. This was the point, right? To see if anyone had seen him, if they'd recognize him. She took the flyer, scanning the piece of paper quickly and quietly before handing it back.

"I'm sorry," and she really did sound like she meant it, "my specialty lies more in objects of value rather than people."

"Was worth a shot." Sonic shrugged, folding the flyer back up and trying to keep the flickering flame of hope alight in his chest despite every effort being made to snuff it out. "Don't worry about it."

"How long has he been missing?"

"Wouldn't happen to know the time would you?" he asked in return.

"It was three in the morning last I checked. That was maybe twenty minutes ago?"

"Then it's been about twenty-eight hours since I realized he was gone," Sonic huffed out. "Probably actually been missing for over thirty though."

She didn't say anything about how the first forty-eight hours were the most critical. "I hope you find him."

"I will." He couldn't believe in anything else. "So what are you doing out here if the bus isn't running and you're not an undercover cop?"

The bat girl shrugged, mouth curving into that sly smile. "I'd tell you, but… a girl's gotta have some secrets." She gave him another once-over. "Don't run yourself ragged, kid. You'll be of no use to anyone if you're not at the top of your game."

Sonic snorted, about to comment that he was always at the top of his game, only to find the bat girl was already walking away. Back into the storm where she'd appeared from. He blinked at her retreating form, umbrella still aloft like she was daring the lightning to try and strike her down.

"Hey!" He called out before he could stop himself and she turned around. "When something doesn't want to be found… or if it went against what you believed in to find it… what would you- how would you-"

"Did he leave a note?"

"Huh?" Sonic blinked.

"I'm guessing he left on his own if you don't have the police involved. Did he leave a note?"

Sonic set his mouth in a firm line, the words still imprinted in his memory. Sonic, I fixed the microwave. I'm sorry I took it apart without asking. It should work better now. I didn't mean to be ungrateful. Thanks for everything. I'll be fine on my own now. Not trusting himself to speak, he just nodded.

"Did it say not to look for him?"

Sonic's eyes widened as he shook his head, words still lost to him.

The bat smiled. "Don't worry, kid. You're doing the right thing."

Sonic swallowed thickly and nodded again. This time he let her leave, watching until she turned a corner and disappeared into the night. Though his chest was still tight, the fire in him burned bright as his gaze drifted back up to the storm. The next rumble of thunder was further away, the lightning no longer directly overhead.

The storm was moving on.

And so would he.

A gust of wind swept through the city streets and caught on the edge of a flyer. Missing: Miles "Tails" Prower, age 6 and a half. Two-tailed fox. Likes to tinker with machines. If found, please contact his brother- It ripped away from the light post it had been taped to, twisting through the air as the storm carried it into the night. Flailing through the city, it cleared the buildings and fluttered past the trees in the jungle.

Rainwater soaked it through until it was too heavy to fly, eventually landing with a wet smack against a sheet of metal. Its presence pinged an alert on a security system, a robotic claw emerging from the metal wall of what was a docked airship. It found the flyer and peeled the soggy paper away from the wall. It carried it inside and was handed to another robot, one of the first E-series prototypes, and it delivered it straight to its creator.

Said creator was found in the parlor, the light from the furnace-like fireplace casting a sickly sheen against the soldered, metal walls lined with bookshelves. There were two windows on either side of the furnace, cloaked with curtains in a vicious red velvet that were parted just enough for the flashes of lightning to catch against the glass. They cast shadows across the metal floor, an ovular rug the only plush surface in the room. In most of the airship, actually. The Egg Frigata³ was designed to be a warship and mobile base with all the comforts of home at one's fingertips.

One lone figure sat in a velvet-lined, egg-shaped chair turned towards the warmth of the fire. Dr. Robotnik paused in sipping his nightly cup of steamed milk, the froth leaving residue on his mustache as he looked up from reviewing his schematics when the robot approached him.

"So what was it?" he barked out and the E-series robot showed him the crumpled, dripping flyer. With a sneer, the mad doctor returned his attention to the documents in his lap. "Trash. Great. Just throw it away- wait a second. Come back here!"

He beckoned the robot closer so he could get a better look at the sopping wet scrap of paper. At the smudged image printed on it. He knew that little fox anywhere. 

"So you're missing are you?" Robotnik chuckled to himself. "I think I know just how to fix that."

Tails's ears twitched as the chirping of flickies coaxed him from a light slumber. At some point in the night, Tails had fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion even though the rain hadn't let up. The thunder had at least quieted to a distant rolling at some point in the early morning hours, giving him some reprieve.

Blinking his eyes open, he was still shaded from most of the sunlight in his alcove. It helped that the jungle remained relatively shady throughout the day anyway, offering a slight reprieve from the heat, but the humidity more than made up for it. It was definitely daylight though, and the sliver of sky he could see appeared to be blue.

So the storm had passed, but there was no telling if another would roll in by late afternoon. He could check the radio for the weather, but he figured finding a way out of the jungle would be his best bet. The climate wasn't exactly his ideal anyway. He wanted to find somewhere drier.

Where the workshop was seemed a bit misleading. It wasn't as humid in the open plateau with the ocean breeze right there, up in the mountains. It would be interesting to see if the summer would attract thunderstorms and hurricanes to the area, but it wasn't like it mattered. Tails wouldn't be around to find out.

Ears drooping, Tails searched the backpack for the radio. He'd fallen asleep hugging it like some little baby, but he guessed it made sense when he'd been as scared as one. His back and shoulders were a little stiff from sleeping half-sitting up, half-hunched over the backpack, and his fur was matted with mud enough to impede his range of motion.

He needed a bath. A place to brush his teeth and his fur out, too, if he didn't want to develop knots and tangles so thick he'd have no choice but to cut them out. There'd been a few times where Sonic had to, when his fur was in too much of a clump no shampoo and comb could loosen it. It was never fun, but he always got a mint or two for his efforts, and to his credit, Sonic would try his best not to tug too hard.

Tails found the radio and turned it on, scanning the stations until he found a weather report he hoped was for close by. Maybe he needed to put more of a limiter on the range he upgraded the radio to if he wanted it to be more useful for his current location. It sounded like partly cloudy skies and a mild temperature were in the forecast for the day, so he hoped that was all he'd encounter.

Pulling the backpack back onto his shoulders, Tails climbed down out of the alcove. It was definitely easier to see in the daylight, but he still didn't know where exactly he was. He'd need to buy a compass at some point. Sonic had never cared about the direction they were going unless it was forwards, but he was fast enough that it didn't really matter. Tails wanted to have at least some idea how to orient himself when he couldn't see the sun.

He had no idea now whether he was moving away from the Mystic Ruins or back towards them.

Tails sighed, adjusted the backpack, then picked a direction and started walking. His feet were starting to ache, he hadn't done this much walking in a while. Whenever he ran after Sonic, his tails did most of the work, allowing him to glide and give his feet a break. That, or Sonic would grab his wrist and pull him along or give him a rare piggyback ride while they ran at supersonic speed.

He was tired, cold, still damp from the rain that soaked through his entire fur coat, and achy. He didn't remember it ever feeling like this when he and Sonic traveled before. There was so much that his big brother had accounted for that never even occurred to Tails. Things he made sure wouldn't be a problem before they were an actual issue to face.

No wonder he thought he was ungrateful. 

Had Tails really ever helped with anything at all? Did Sonic just keep him around because he was too nice of a person to leave a little kid on his own? After all, he was a hero, and that was definitely something heroes didn't do.

Tails slowed to a stop. His gaze dropped to the jungle floor, to his worn and muddied shoes. It was better that he was on his own now. Sonic had enough on his plate saving all of Mobius without having to deal with him.

Tails just slowed him down. He made him spend what little money he had to feed him. Had to stop and take breaks when Tails needed to rest or if a thunderstorm kept them from continuing. And what did Tails do for him in return? Fly his plane? Sonic could fly his own plane, he was the one who showed him how to do it in the first place.

No, he just took apart his microwave and fridge and left his house a wreck.

Ungrateful.

The backpack was even heavier, weighed down with supplies and second-guessing the past few years of his little life. Tails gripped the straps of the backpack and squeezed tightly. Not all the smiles could've been fake. Not every laugh or fist bump or hug was meaningless. Sonic's just a nice guy, he wouldn't be mean to you on purpose.

After another minute or two, he could breathe a little easier and figured he could start walking again. Splish. Ears perked, Tails started wandering in the direction of what he hoped was some kind of water source. Fresh water to drink and somewhere to wash up would help him feel better, he was sure. He was likely dehydrated and feeling all grimey wasn't doing anything for his overall mood.

Both parts curious and hopeful, he picked his way through the brush. Past some particularly thick bramble, Tails found a clearing with a considerable lake in the middle of it. Heaving a relieved sigh, he dropped the backpack to the ground and went to inspect it. It wasn't stagnant, a couple creeks feeding in and out of it like veins and arteries, keeping the water flowing.

Still, it'd be better if he boiled the water first, but he was so thirsty and it looked so refreshing. There were plenty of little fish swimming around in it, too, so he didn't think it was filled with some terrible brain-eating amoeba - the genius part of him knew that was very much a thing that could exist, while the little brother part of him knew Sonic had just said that once to scare him and maybe keep him from trying to drink questionable water when he was younger.

Kneeling down on the shore, Tails removed his gloves and cupped his palms together to try and get a little taste. It seemed fine enough to him. He wasn't going to drink much, just enough to keep going until he made camp again. 

He'd need to find some supplies to make a water purifier, something that wouldn't take as long as boiling the impurities out of it and then waiting for it to cool down. He'd thought about making one before, but it would have just been another thing to carry, even if it was useful. Besides, he and Sonic had a system when it came to boiling the water. 

Tails would fill their cooking pot with water while Sonic started the fire, then Tails would wait until it reached the ideal temperature before cooling it down by fanning his tails over it. Once it was room temperature, Sonic would bottle them up in their reusable bottles and run them up somewhere snowy and bury them, so they would always have a stash of cold water to enjoy somewhere. In the winter they didn't mind drinking the water hot so much, but on hot summer days after so much time running or flying or fighting robots, it was nice to have something cold.

As soon as he found a junkyard or scrap metal pile, Tails would start working on that water purifier. 

After he drank his fill, he scooped up some more water and started scrubbing the mud out of his fur. He had one bar of soap with him, leaving the shampoo for Sonic. They'd always shared one bottle, even if it was meant for fluffier fur than a hedgehog's. Sonic didn't care as long as it got him clean, and it saved more space to carry only one bottle at a time rather than two.

He'd be careful not to get any of the soap in the actual lake, not wanting to hurt any of the fishes swimming in it, wringing out a wet washcloth over his lathered up fur. It was how they'd always bathed if they needed to use soap, but it was definitely easier when there was someone else there to get your back for you. Tails hoped he got enough of it, then sat himself down on a log in a patch of sunlight that managed to filter its way through the thick canopy overhead so he could dry.

While he waited, he brushed his tails, already finding plenty of stubborn knots that didn't want to detangle from a simple bar of soap.

Ribbit.

Tails blinked, distracted from his task by the croaking immediately to his right. He turned and found himself looking into the yellow eyes of a large frog sitting beside him on the log. The frog stared at him for a solid thirty seconds before it croaked again.

Tails found himself smiling for the first time since he'd successfully set up camp on his own. "Hi," he greeted, tails wagging.

Ribbit. 

"Is this your log? I'm sorry. I was just looking for somewhere to sit for a little while. Is that okay?" he asked.

The frog blinked twice, then immediately turned and hopped off the log. Tails's ears fell and his tails stopped their usual swishing. He almost lunged after the frog in an attempt to keep some company.

"Wait! Please don't go," he called out, watching the frog hop away to the other end of the lake.

To the other end of the lake where a large, purple cat was sitting, at least three times Tails's size, with a fishing pole in hand and looking right at him.

Tails immediately stiffened, drawing his knees up to his chest and preparing to ball himself up for protection. He hadn't even noticed there was anyone else here, which was weird. He had really good hearing, he normally knew when there were others nearby. Had to. He had to know when he needed to hide or run or fight-

Whoever this was appeared remarkably quiet, the frog the noisiest thing about them, and it was hardly unusual to hear something like ribbiting in the jungle. 

His ears and tails twitched as a thought occurred to him. Someone had led him to the alcove the night before, someone he hadn't seen at all, but had to have been close by, right? Tails squirmed self-consciously, maintaining eye contact with the cat just to make sure he wasn't snuck up on or anything.

"Were… were you the one who called out to me last night?" Tails finally asked, hands curling up into fists on his knees.

"Hm?" The purple cat's deep voice rumbled in his chest, and Tails knew immediately it hadn't been him. "No," the cat replied after a moment. "Don't think so."

"Oh… okay," Tails said lamely, not sure how else to end the conversation.

They didn't say anything else for a while, quiet except for the soft splish whenever the cat cast his lure back out into the lake. There was also the occasional croak from the frog, now perched beside the large cat, but still blinked his wide, round eyes at Tails every now and then. Tails blinked back at him.

"Are you out here all by yourself?"

Tails nearly tumbled off the log, startled by the cat's sudden question. "I'm- uh. I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," he said. "Unless I'm helping them. Or asking them for help. Then it's okay."

Except no one was there to make sure he followed that rule. He was on his own now, and it wasn't like he hadn't already broken a bajillion of Sonic's rules already, few that he had. Okay, so maybe it was only like three rules that he'd broken, but when Sonic only had about seven rules, breaking three in one day sure felt like a lot. 

"No wandering off without letting Sonic know first" he'd broken the moment he walked out of the workshop. "Don't start a fire without proper supervision" had to be broken if he was going to eat something other than under ripe fruit that hurt his throat and whatever else he could forage. And "don't follow strangers" was a given, and following the voice from last night probably counted, even if it did help him. It still could've been a trap. Or a ghost.

Tails hugged his knees to his chest, tails curling around his front as he stared down at his murky reflection in the water until the ripples from the fishing rod broke his concentration.

"That's a good rule," the cat told him as he reeled in a fish.

He was surprisingly gentle as he unhooked the fish from the lure, big hands cradling the slippery scales when they looked as though they could crush the creature with ease. There was a bucket of water beside him and he placed the fish inside it with a soft splash. With a satisfied hum, he picked up his fishing rod and cast out a new line with fresh bait, lure a brightly colored bauble bobbing on the surface of the lake.

Tails watched him fish for a while after that, watched him catch a few and murmur the occasional quiet comment to his frog companion every now and then, like, "take a look at this one, Froggy. Look at its scales." Not every fish went into the bucket. Tails wasn't sure what kind of system he had, just that the cat would unhook some of them from the line carefully and place them back in the water.

Sonic took him fishing sometimes, but neither of them really had the patience for it. It usually ended with Tails doggy-paddling in whatever body of water they'd found and Sonic dozing off on the dock, as far away from the edge and the water as possible. When Tails had tuckered himself out, he'd then climb up onto the dock next to him, and if the wood was warm enough, he'd curl up beside him to let his fur dry and just listen to the calming sound of Sonic's breathing amidst the humming of summer insects and the songs of flickies in the trees around them. Eventually his big brother's nose would wrinkle and he'd teasingly complain about the smell of wet fox.

Maybe fishing hadn't been so bad.

Tails sniffed, scrubbing at his eyes just to make sure there were no tears there. Crying in front of strangers was never good. If they didn't laugh at him, they'd try to help him and helping usually led to them touching him, grabbing him, holding him when he didn't want to be held.

If he wanted to be held, then he'd ask.

"You don't have to talk to me if that's breaking a rule," the cat spoke a little louder than he had been to the frog, so Tails looked over at him and listened, "but if you are alone out here, it's not very safe."

Tails huffed, tails swishing with mild irritation. "If I was alone, I could still take care of myself. I've fought Dr. Eggman- er… Dr. Robotnik before. Have been since I was four."

"By yourself?"

He deflated a bit, pride a little bit wounded. "Well, no. Not exactly. But I helped." Tails's lower lip quivered until he set it into a firm frown, chin jutting out stubbornly. "I was Sonic the Hedgehog's sidekick, you know. You've heard of him, right? He's only the biggest hero in the whole world."

The cat hummed, though his demeanor didn't seem to indicate any reaction to his big brother's name. "But you're not his sidekick anymore?"

Tails blinked twice at him. "What?"

"You said ‘was his sidekick.' Are you not anymore?"

"Oh." Tails dropped his gaze to the bobbing lure in the lake. "I guess not."

"How come?"

Swallowing past the thick lump that sprouted in his throat, Tails hugged his knees closer. "Just… because." His heart twisted itself into a pretzel in his chest, and it hurt, but in way that made him mad, angling away from him and scowling. "It's none of your business."

"I'm sorry," the big cat said, and it sounded like he meant it.

Tails felt a bit bad for snapping, even if it was at a stranger. Sonic was always nice to strangers - as long as they didn't give him a reason not to be first. Heroes were supposed to be nice to everyone.

"It's okay," Tails replied after a beat. "I guess I'm not his sidekick anymore because I ran away."

"You ran away?"

"Yeah." Tails's ears drooped. "I wasn't happy, so I left. Because that way, it was my choice. I'm tired of being told to do things just because Sonic says so if he doesn't have a good reason! He used to have good reasons, you know. He used to tell me everything! We were best friends! He was my big brother!" His lower lip quivered. "Now it just feels like he'd rather be anywhere else than around me. But who can blame him? Everyone would rather be anywhere else than around me. That's how it's always been."

"Did you talk to him about all that?" the cat asked.

"Yeah- well, sort of." Tails picked at the fur of one of his tails. "But he got mad at me."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Why?"

Tails tilted his head to one side. "Why'd he get mad? I guess… because…" His ears fell. "I wanted to make him mad. I was mad, so I… I just wanted him to understand. I wanted him to know how I felt instead of just pretending everything's fine because it wasn’t fine. So I… I tested him."

"And he got mad?"

"Yeah." Tails's eyes were wet again. "He did."

"And then you ran away?"

Tails sniffed and scrubbed at his face with the backs of his hands again. "Yeah. But I had to! He didn't give me any other choice!"

"He didn't?"

Well, no. That wasn't true. Not in the slightest. Sure, Sonic made the choice that they had to stay in one place, but he never forced Tails to be happy about it. He never told Tails that he couldn't talk to him about it. If there was one thing Sonic valued above everything, it was having choices. 

"No, he… he did." Tails hid his face against the tops of his knees. "I just think I chose wrong," he mumbled softly, too soft for the cat to hear him.

Their companionable silence resumed, broken only by the splashing of fish in the lake. Eventually Tails's stomach joined the jungle's soundtrack. Both he and the cat looked at his stomach as it grumbled noisily.

He hadn't eaten anything since the unripe papaya the day before. When he'd taken out the second hot dog later for lunch, he realized it was way too warm to still be considered safe to eat. And after the tummy ache the papaya caused, he didn't want to take any chances with it. He also didn't want to eat the other unripe papaya until it matured a bit more, holding onto it just to see if it would continue to ripen.

But now he was hungry, the ravenous pangs taking him back to a time when food had been scarce and the smell of fresh chili dogs had coaxed him out of hiding because he was starving…

Tails jolted when he heard the cat strike a stone. Wide-eyed, he watched as the cat built a campfire a few feet away from where he'd been fishing. "It's time for lunch," he said simply when he realized he was being watched. "Would you like some fish?"

His stomach growled again. Tails clutched it nervously, gaze darting to the bucket of fish to the cat and back. Biting on his lip, he nodded and slid off his log to put on his marginally dryer socks and shoes. 

"Can I help?" he asked, padding over to the campfire.

The cat nodded. "Can you find some sticks to roast the fish on?"

He could do that. He spun his tails and flew about the clearing until he gathered several long sticks that could be sharpened into skewers. He brought them back to the cat, and also dragged over his backpack to sit against.

"My name's Big," the cat said suddenly as he worked. "And this is Froggy, my best friend."

Tails smiled as the frog croaked in response, his tails giving a little wag. "Hi Big. Froggy. I'm Tails."

The idea came to her while she was getting dressed for the day, her red headband falling from her hands as she gasped, "The two of wands. Tails has two tails. What if the bad plan was his? Because let's face it, anyway you look at it, it isn't a good plan." 

Amy shuffled through her tarot deck to find the two of wands card again. She stared hard at it when she found it, trying to better understand its meaning. When the card was in reverse, it meant that there'd be obstacles in the future based on a lack of proper planning that would inevitably lead to the reader's downfall. 

If Tails was struggling because he planned this poorly, what would he do?

"He'd start from scratch," she murmured, tapping the card against her palm. "He'd go back to step one to find out where he went wrong." She looked out the window at the now blue and sunny sky. "He'd go back to the workshop."

Amy put away her tarot cards, then rushed to grab her headband and her purse, hastily throwing both on as she ran out the door. She didn't text Sonic, not yet. She didn't want to get his hopes up on a hunch, even if her hunches were pretty good in her opinion.

She ran all the way to the train station. Right as she hopped up the stone steps, her cell phone rang. She fumbled for it immediately, just in case anyone else had news. Her shoulders and ears drooped when she realized it wasn't Sonic, but the Chaotix's number.

"Hello?" she answered.

"It's me," Knuckles said on the other line. "Any news?"

"Nothing yet," she sighed. "What about you guys?"

"We're back in Station Square for now. The Chaotix are following up on a few tips, but no solid leads yet. Where are you now?"

"The train station. I was going to head back to the Mystic Ruins," she told him. 

"Really? Wait there. I'll be there in five minutes."

Amy blinked in surprise. "Oh, okay. Sure. See you soon."

She finished climbing the steps and found an open seat on a bench to wait for Knuckles to arrive. Smoothing out her skirt, she frowned to herself as she debated telling Sonic after all. Since not communicating things was what got them into this mess in the first place, she huffed to herself and took her phone back out.

Meeting up with Knuckles at the train station in SS. How are you doing?

There was a beat before she received a simple thumbs up emoji in return. Amy sighed again. It was really all she was getting from him at the moment. Which she couldn't really blame him for. He likely didn't have the energy for formulating complete sentences, not after the night he surely had.

Take it easy and keep us updated!

Another thumbs up and she put away her phone. She knew it was too much to hope that he'd slept at some point, but she hoped anyway. 

"Hey." Knuckles stopped in front of her.

"Hi." Amy immediately stood up from the bench. "Why did you want to meet?"

"The Chaotix suggested checking the Mystic Ruins again. Apparently it's not uncommon for kids to go back home when they realize how out of their element they are."

Her brow furrowed. "Good point, but he's not exactly out of his element."

Knuckles hummed, tilting his head in consideration. "Maybe not. But I guarantee you it probably doesn't feel much like his element without Sonic. Just figured it wouldn't hurt to check there again." He shrugged. "Have you heard from Sonic by the way?"

Amy shrugged as they made their way to the ticket booth so Knuckles could purchase a single ride ticket. "Not really. I've texted him to check in, but he doesn't have much to say… I'm really worried about him. I don't think he's slept."

Once Knuckles had his ticket in hand, they went through the turnstiles and boarded the next train heading to the Mystic Ruins. "Why were you thinking of checking the workshop again?" Knuckles asked after they settled in their seats.

"Oh." Amy shuffled her feet as she glanced down at her lap. "Just a hunch. I've got a feeling that maybe… maybe Tails didn't plan this as well as he wanted to. So, maybe he returned to base to consider a new plan. Somewhere he knows is safe and has supplies."

Knuckles hummed thoughtfully. "It's possible."

"I just thought it was worth a look."

He nodded. "Then we'll look. Can't hurt to look."

Amy clasped her hands together and turned her head to look out the window. A bad plan could be fixed. It left room to consider new options. Options that, ideally, would involve hearing Sonic out and mending the cracks in their tower.

Chapter Text

Apparently Big the Cat lived nearby, the jungle his and Froggy's home. He liked that there were a lot of water sources nearby for fishing and that it was a peaceful place surrounded by nature. Even though he enjoyed the outdoors, he still had a shelter, somewhere to sleep at night and to protect him and Froggy from the elements. A place he knew he could always return to.

"I guess that makes us neighbors. Sonic and I live close by, too, over where the train passes through- I mean. We were living close by. I don't live there anymore," Tails corrected. "And he probably won't for much longer."

"Where do you live now?" Big asked.

"Wherever the wind takes me," Tails said proudly. "I'm a free-spirit. A vagabond."

"Oh." Big took a few bites of fish. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's great," Tails hurried to assure him. "I can go wherever I want and if I don't like somewhere, then I can just leave and go somewhere new. Have a new adventure! It's how I've always lived. That's… that's my normal." 

Except normally he wasn't alone. Tails stared hard at the remains of his fish, hands clenched around the skewer so they wouldn't tremble. It wasn't ideal, but it was the next best thing, wasn't it? If he had to lose Sonic, then he could at least keep one familiar thing, even if that familiar thing was a constant reminder of everything he'd lost.

Tails nibbled on another cooked fish as he sat with that for a minute.

"Sometimes," Big said out of nowhere, catching Tails's attention, "there are days where I don't catch many fish. I don't like those days. They can be hard."

Tails swallowed a bite of fish and placed his hand over his stomach. He could see that, if fishing was how Big survived. And being so big, he probably needed to eat a lot of fish every day to keep up his strength. 

"But it helps to have someplace to go when the hard day is over. Someplace safe. And I remember no matter how bad the fishing was today, I can always try again tomorrow."

"Is your house in the jungle your safe place?" Tails asked.

"Mmhm. But not just because it's my house," he answered slowly. "It's because I made good memories with Froggy there. That makes it home."

Ears perked with interest, Tails looked to the frog sitting contentedly beside the cat. "So you're saying… your home is anywhere Froggy is."

"Mmhm," Big hummed again as he polished off his last fish.

"What if that meant you couldn't live the way you wanted anymore?" The question burst out of Tails before he could stop it, wanting to collect as much data to analyze as his brain buzzed. "What if you had to move away from the jungle to stay with Froggy? Or stop fishing entirely? What if you could never fish again?"

The cat blinked at him in silence for several long seconds. "I'm only good at fishing."

Some of the tension that had coiled up in Tails eased, and he sat back against the backpack, ready to leave it at that, but then Big continued:

"But I guess I could try to find something else to be good at."

Tails stared at him. "Wait, really?"

Big nodded. "I don't think Froggy would ever ask me to stop fishing, but if I had to, I would."

"And you'd live somewhere else? Like a city or a swamp?"

"We could find someplace quiet and build a nice house, couldn't we, Froggy?" Big looked to his companion and received an affirmative ribbit. "As long as we're together."

Tails watched as Big started to tidy up, using the bucket that had once held the fish he'd caught to douse the fire. "Okay, but what if Froggy changed? What if he was different all of a sudden and didn't want to spend time with you anymore?"

The cat looked over at his frog companion. "I don't think Froggy would do that, but if he did then he must have had a good reason."

A good reason? His tails thrashed back and forth as he tried to reconcile Big's answers with his own experience. A good reason like realizing you were too cool and too special to be slowed down by a little brother you never asked for.

Except that didn't really sound like Sonic. No, a good reason for him would be… he was trying to look out for them, maybe. Wasn't that what he was always trying to do before? Everything he did was for the two of them to be able to live the way they wanted. Together.

Big adjusted his belt after he secured his fishing pole to his back. He held one hand out to Froggy and the frog leapt up along his arm to perch on his shoulder, the movement so natural for them both. Tails tucked his tails around him as he remained sitting on the ground.

"Are you going back home now?" Tails asked him.

"Not yet," Big answered. "I'm going fishing over by the waterfall for a little while."

Tails's ears fell flat as a chill settled in his gut. "The waterfall?"

"Mmhm. The waterfall out on the plateau near the mountains. The pond there gets a lot of rainbow trout," he explained. "It's good to fish there a lot so the other fish have a chance to swim there, too."

"Oh." And suddenly it made sense why Big had put back so many of the fish he'd caught and only kept a couple. "I get it. To control the fish population from invasive species, huh?"

"I just want to help the fishies." He shrugged, taking up his now empty bucket. 

Tails offered him a smile. "Sounds like you're doing your best."

The cat nodded, quiet for a minute as he considered the little fox. "You can come with me if you want. Froggy likes the company."

Going to the waterfall would put him right back where he started. Tails averted his gaze, stomach knotted up with something other than hunger pain. If the waterfall was nearby, then that meant he'd just gone in one big circle. He'd made no progress, would potentially have to see Sonic, and admit that he couldn't do this on his own. Or worse, face Sonic and see disappointment on his face when he realized he'd come back after all.

"No, I… I've got other places to go. Lot of ground to cover before it gets dark." Tails smiled up at him. "But thanks for the offer!"

Big nodded. "Okay. But if you change your mind, you're welcome to walk with us for a while. C'mon, Froggy."

"C'mon, Tails!"

Tails tensed as he watched the cat turn away from him and head to the edge of the clearing. After having someone to talk to, even just for an hour or two, loneliness felt like a chasm cracking open in the ground beneath him, ready to swallow him up and drag him back down. Everyone would rather be anywhere else. But Big offered to let him tag along.

The blue hedgehog glanced back at him, curiosity gleaming in his eyes before a smile quirked his mouth and he made a beckoning motion with his hand. 

Tails picked at the knots in his fur, watching Big get further and further away from him. His gait was slow and lumbering, nothing like the blur of blue he'd spent so long trying to catch up to, so he wouldn't regret letting him come with him or think he was anything but grateful for whatever Sonic would give him, whether it be half of his chili dog or a smile. 

Big made it to the edge of the clearing when Tails scrambled to his feet. The cat turned around at the sound, watching quietly as Tails hoisted his backpack back on. His fists gripped the straps tightly, blue eyes still hesitant as he looked up at Big, silently asking if it was still okay.

Big answered by waiting for him, letting the fox kit slowly erase the distance between them with each step. When he was close enough, Big started walking again and Tails followed. It wouldn't hurt to walk with him for a little while. He could always change direction once they got closer to the waterfall.

After what felt like hours of walking - though was really only about forty-five minutes because Big the Cat liked to take his time and kept stopping to admire the flowers with Froggy on his shoulder - they finally reached the edge of the jungle. The crevice in the mountain that Big eased his way through was the very same one Tails had ducked into two days ago. 

He really was back where he started.

Once Big was through, he paused and looked back over his shoulder at the little fox that lingered in the shadows of the jungle. The late spring sunshine looked warm on the grass just beyond the rocky passage and Tails shivered in the shade. But he didn't move any closer.

Still, Big waited.

Tails dropped his gaze to his scuffed up shoes. "Well, thanks for letting me walk with you," he started, his voice sounding like it didn't quite belong in the quiet. "I'm gonna… I'll just be on my way."

"You've made it this far," Big said simply. "Why not keep going?"

Tails bit down on his lower lip, tails twisting in agitation. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"I just can't, okay?"

Big the Cat tilted his head to one side as he considered that for a moment, then replied, "But do you want to?"

Tails blinked up at him, then turned his head away. "It doesn't matter."

"It matters what you want," Big pointed out.

"No, it doesn't! It hasn't mattered in a long time! Because if it mattered, then everything wouldn't be different now and changing and- and it's too fast and I- I can't keep up and if I can't keep up, I'll get left behind." Tails could feel fresh tears stinging his eyes and he was so tired of being on the brink of crying. He was tired of being tired, of being cold, damp, dirty, and alone. "I don't want him to leave me alone."

"Does he know?" Big asked.

Tails sniffled, succeeding in holding back the tears for the time being. "Know what?"

"That you're scared."

"I'm not-" Tails stopped himself, the vice grip in his chest tightening around his heart. "I'm not scared."

"Then what's stopping you from trying?"

What locked his knees and made his chest quiver like he was cold? What else could send his mind spiraling through a thousand different what-ifs, each scenario playing out like a bad dream in his brain? 

It was easier to stop his head from spinning when Sonic was there. He knew how to keep the fear at bay, just from existing in the space beside him. So when he was gone for so long… for days… working on some secret mission without him… it left enough space for the monsters to crawl inside and feed his fears with whispered reminders that he wasn't worth it.

A small, broken sound was wrenched from his throat. "Even if it's what I want, I can't. I can't go back now. He'll be so mad," Tails said through clenched teeth, his achy fingers tight around the straps of the backpack digging into his shoulders. "I promised a long time ago I'd never leave him and then I did it anyway. What if he doesn't want me to come back?"

Big hummed thoughtfully, looking up at the blue sky through the cracks in the mountain. "If it was me," he said slowly, "and Froggy had run away, for any reason, even if he promised… I think I'd just be happy to have him back." 

Tails's breath hitched, wide, wet eyes fixated on Big as his heart gave a painful lurch. "You would?" His small voice quivered.

"Yeah. Nothing would feel like home without Froggy." Feeling his gaze boring into him, Big looked over at him and smiled. "I'd miss him very much."

"Oh." Tails sniffled, the tears fighting their way to the surface no matter how hard he tried to stop them.

Big held out a hand to the little fox, to help him over the rocks if he wanted it. Tails rubbed his fists against his eyes and took a shuddering breath, then he puffed up his chest and reached for Big's hand, clinging to it as he was guided out of the crevice and into the bright sun illuminating the open fields of the Mystic Ruins.

His sneakers landed softly in the grass, his tails giving a spin to slow the descent with the weight of the backpack dragging him down. He heard the one o’clock train's farewell whistle as it pulled away from the station. Just beyond it, he could see the workshop's roof where it overlooked the ocean. Looking at it didn't settle the queasy sensation of homesickness in his belly, but there was something reassuring about it still being there. Waiting for him. 

Big released his hand and hiked his fishing pole over his shoulder once again, slowly strolling across the field towards the waterfall in the distance. Tails glanced between it and the workshop, hesitantly following Big until he noticed two figures on their way up to the cliff the workshop sat atop. He froze in place, his tails stiff and fluffed out, heart racing.

It was Amy and Knuckles.

Their eyes met and Tails watched as shock rippled across both of their faces. Amy's hands clapped over her mouth and Knuckles's eyes went comically wide before they narrowed into sharp slits. Tails didn't have much time.

He yelped as he spun on his heel, abandoning the backpack to the grass and tails twisting feverishly as he bolted back the way he'd come, heading back for the crevice in the mountain in an attempt to escape. But Knuckles was faster. Tails had only just made it to the rocky base of the mountain when Knuckles's fist embedded itself in the rock, inches from Tails's face, to cut him off from his intended escape.

"Just where the hell do you think you're going?!" Knuckles shouted at him.

"Tails!" Amy was calling out after him. "Knuckles, be careful!"

Knuckles didn't pay her any mind, his furious glare fixed solely on Tails. "Do you have any idea what you put us through? What were you thinking?! I thought you were supposed to be the smart one!"

Tails's breath hitched, the mountainside digging into his back as he pressed against it in an attempt to put some distance between himself and Knuckles. But he was caged in. Knuckles loomed over him so he was forced to look him in the eyes. His very angry eyes.

He'd never borne the full brunt of Knuckles's anger before, his frustrations reserved for Sonic's antics most of the time. Tails was always just the kid Sonic brought along for the ride. Tears filled his eyes, but Tails couldn't look away, frozen by his fury and trapped. He'd been trapped before. Cornered, kicked, and tugged on. Shoved, twisted, and broken.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?!"

Tails opened his mouth to respond, but he couldn't make a single sound. He tried again, the words locked away somewhere deep, deep down inside him. He didn't really know what Knuckles wanted him to say. He didn't know Knuckles would even know that he'd run away, let alone care about it. Wasn't he always questioning the kind of role model Sonic was for him? He would've thought he'd be the first in line to tell Sonic off, not threaten to break Tails's face into pieces when he tried to run. 

The tension in Knuckles' shoulders and clenched jaw eased up as he watched Tails struggle. Something in his gaze didn't exactly soften, but his eyes weren't as angry as he gave him a bit more space. He removed his fist from where it'd been embedded in the mountain, uncurling it so he could brace himself against it instead. An open palm less of a threat from the echidna.

"Stop it, Knuckles, you're scaring him," Amy scolded sharply, even though Knuckles had already eased up. "Tails, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

His gaze flickered briefly to her before focusing back on Knuckles - the threat, his instincts told him, even if his mind said otherwise - and he felt another pang of guilt when he saw how worried she looked. Her pretty pink quills were limp and her eyes looked just as teary as his own. He didn't think she'd know that he'd run away either. He didn't think Sonic would've told anyone…

"Where's Sonic?" was the first thing he said to them instead of an explanation.

"Where do you think?" Knuckles fired back, ignoring the look Amy shot him.

"He's out looking for you," she answered, focusing her attention back on him and drawing his gaze to her face. "We all were, but you know, he's faster, so he went on ahead."

Knuckles huffed, "He's probably all the way to Holoska by now."

"He's not looking in Holoska." Amy couldn't help but roll her eyes. "How would Tails have made it all the way to Holoska without the Tornado?"

"You think there's a single rational thought in his head right now?"

"You're not giving him enough credit-"

"Is he mad?" Tails asked, gripping tight to one of his tails.

They were both quiet for a moment, neither looking like they had any idea what to do with a question like that. With Tails looking and sounding the way he did. Tails's lower lip quivered, so he clenched his jaw to try and stop it. He didn't want to be looked at like that.

"He's really worried about you," Amy finally said. "He just wants to know you're okay."

"I left him a note," Tails sniffled. "And I fixed the microwave."

Amy smiled a little for him, but it didn't do much to make him feel any better. "He didn't want you to be alone."

Any control he had over his body slipped from his grasp as a sob bubbled out of him. "Then why does he always go without me?" he demanded, anger and despair knotting up in his chest, too tired to try and untangle them. "He leaves me alone all the time now! So I- I didn't think he'd- I didn't want-"

Arms wrapped around him in a tight hug. Even if it was unfamiliar, Tails burrowed into the hold as he cried against Amy's chest, missing a different hedgehog entirely. He was tired and lonely and he just wanted his home back.

She held onto him until he was all cried out, slumping against her as his tears left him drained. Without having to ask, which would've been embarrassing if he'd had to, Amy picked him up so he didn't have to walk. Tails clung to her, face hidden against her shoulder and twin tails wrapped around her waist. Amy held onto him just as tightly, determined not to put him down until Sonic was in sight. Over her shoulder, Tails could see Big standing off to the side, holding the backpack he'd dropped in his haste to get away.

"This is his," the cat told Knuckles once he noticed, offering it to him.

"Thanks." Though he didn't look like he trusted this stranger very much, which Tails couldn't really blame him for. "Who are you?" 

"He's our neighbor," Tails mumbled. "Big the Cat. He helped me get back through the jungle."

"Then that deserves a double thanks." Amy smiled up at him. "Thank you for looking out for him."

"Yeah, we've got it from here." Knuckles hoisted up the backpack like it was no heavier than a feather.

Big nodded, then smiled kindly at Tails. "Good luck with your brother," he said and Froggy croaked as if to wish him well, too, before they set off for the waterfall once again.

"Oh, Knuckles, can you get out my phone and call Sonic?" Amy asked, rubbing Tails's back when he tensed instinctively.

Knuckles grunted his affirmation, frowning as he dug through Amy's purse for her cell phone. They headed up the hill towards the workshop while Knuckles fumbled for Sonic's contact with the rather delicate electronic device. He muttered some choice words under his breath about the buttons being too small by the time he got it to ring.

"Yeah?"

"We found him!" Knuckles informed him immediately, not bothering to beat around the bush.

"What? Where? What happened? Is he okay? I'm coming to meet you!" Sonic rattled off, the sound of air already rushing into the speaker as he sped off in the first direction he picked, regardless if it was the correct one.

Knuckles winced, holding the phone away from his ear so the static wasn't as overwhelming. "Stop running while talking. He's fine. We're at the Mystic Ruins, we can see your house from here."

He could hear the sound of Sonic skidding to a stop before pivoting abruptly, ignoring his request not to talk and run at the same time. "On my way! Don't let him out of your sight!"

"Wasn't planning on it." Knuckles rolled his eyes. "You do know guarding things is something I do on a regular basis, right?"

"Last I checked, the Master Emerald wasn't about to jump up and run off on its own."

Knuckles narrowed his gaze. "Are you mocking my sacred duty?"

A soft kick hit his ankle, not nearly enough to make him stumble, but enough to make him turn to see Amy frowning at him. "Don't waste my minutes arguing. My long distance plan is limited."

"He started it," Knuckles replied and heard Sonic's offended grunt carry through the phone. "Look, I'm hanging up now-" Knuckles flicked his gaze to Tails who was staring at him, eyes big and longing, "-unless you want to talk to him?" he asked the fox, the voice on the other line blessedly quiet for a second while Sonic held his breath.

Tails set his mouth in a firm little line, gaze drawn to Amy's phone, then he nodded hesitantly. "Is that okay?"

Amy gave him a squeeze. "I have all the minutes in the world for you to talk to him!" she assured him with a giggle.

"Of course you do. Here, Sonic, Tails wants to-" Knuckles interrupted himself when Tails's ears twitched up suddenly and his gaze snapped towards the ocean. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Amy stopped walking, Knuckles following suit, both doing their best to listen to their surroundings alongside the fox, but all they could hear was the waterfall behind them and the wind as it swept through the mountains, ignoring the tinny sound of Sonic's voice demanding to know what was happening through the cell phone's speakers.

"You can't just interrupt a sentence with ‘what's wrong,' knucklehead!"

Knuckles and Amy exchanged glances, the latter shrugging as she adjusted her hold on Tails. His stare was still trained on the cliff overlooking the ocean, but he relaxed a little and let his tails droop.

"Sorry, I thought I heard-"

A piercing hum split the air, mechanical whirring echoing off the rocks surrounding them as a large airship rose up from over the cliff's edge. A gust of wind rushed at them, Amy squeezing Tails tightly to her as Knuckles's stance held firm. Eggman's familiar logo was emblazoned on the metal hull of the ship, but the sound of his cackling over his loud speakers had already given him away.

"Well, look what we have here! A welcome reception for me? You shouldn't have!"

"Dr. Eggman!" Amy gasped.

"What's he doing here?" Knuckles growled out.

"I heard you were looking for something and thought I could offer my assistance." A buzz bomber shot out from the ship, one of the many flyers Amy had designed pinned to its stinger. 

Knuckles leapt forward and smashed the bot with his fist, snatching the flyer from it as it crumpled to the ground. 

"You can hold onto that," Eggman said. "You'll no doubt need it again after I'm through with you."

Knuckles held up the piece of paper as he glared at Amy. "Flyers, huh?"

Cheeks flushed with embarrassment, she huffed, "Well, obviously I didn't think Eggman would see them!"

"What are you two talking about?" Sonic was shouting into the receiver. "How did Eggman get there?!"

"Now, if the two of you don't mind, I've got a fox to collect."

Another panel in the hull of the ship opened, this one deploying a battalion of badniks, their boosters carrying them straight towards the three of them. Egg pawns landed on the ground with heavy clunks, turning their eerie smiling faces on the trio. Buzz bombers joined them in the air, some enhanced by being equipped with grabber bots and or electrified stingers.

Tails hopped out of Amy's arms, grabbing her hands as he spun his tails to lift her out of the way when one of the bots zapped where they'd been standing. He set her down and she immediately unstrapped her hammer from her back. With a twirl, she bashed a second buzz bomber that tried to nab them with one of its grabber attachments.

Knuckles had been drawn away from the two of them by the egg pawns, punching his way through several in their attempt to surround him. Somewhere in the fray he'd lost Amy's phone, their connection to Sonic cut for the time being. With an imminent threat on the horizon, Knuckles knew it wouldn't be long before he showed up. If they couldn't beat Robotnik on their own, then they only had to hold their ground for a minute or two.

But more robots were being deployed as they fought. It didn't matter that Knuckles could smash three egg pawns in succession, four more would jet over to him to take their place, nevermind the ones that were focused on Amy and Tails. With all her might, Amy swung her hammer left and right, making sure to keep Tails in sight at the same time. He kept up with ease though, the most well-practiced out of the three of them. He took each badnik out fast and efficiently. Curling into a ball, he barreled and bounced his way between bots, aiming for their susceptible joints and the gaps in their casing where his hands could reach in and yank some wires out.

Still, as capable as he was, Tails was tired from two days in the jungle on his own, muscles sore from lugging around the backpack, so it wasn't much of a surprise when he was knocked off the back of an egg pawn by a buzz bomber's electric shock. With a choked cry, he landed hard in the grass, curling up instinctively as his nerves buzzed. Another egg pawn landed with a heavy thud right in front of him and Tails scrambled back as best as he could. 

The robot's claw shot out to grab him, but something else snagged in Tails's fur first and yanked him back. He went sailing through the air with a shout, too shocked to get his bearings enough to fly before he landed against something soft. Tails blinked, realizing he was being cradled in the crook of a large, furry arm, held close to a broad chest. 

"Big?" He looked up to see the cat holding him carefully, his fishing pole in his other hand, brandished in front of them to protect him. "Oh… thank you," Tails said in awe, then pressed close as Big angled him away from another approaching buzz bomber and grabber combo.

He hadn't even known Tails for very long and he was still willing to put himself in harm's way to keep him safe. The little fox's heart gave a painful lurch, but it wasn't because he was sad. He just couldn't believe it. He'd felt it a lot when he'd first started living with Sonic. When he'd tussle the fur atop his head or look over his shoulder to make sure he was still with him. He'd cared and Tails didn't know what to do with feeling cared for. 

He watched as Big slammed his fishing pole down on the encroaching buzz bomber, cracking the casing and leaving it sputtering in a heap on the ground. "Wow. That was a good one."

"Thanks."

Tails smiled up at him. "I think I'm okay to stand now."

Big nodded and lowered him down to the grass. His legs wobbled a bit, so Tails hovered instead, changing tactics to aerial attacks. He slammed into a buzz bomber, shattering its chassis mid-air, then tucked into his version of a hedgehog roll. He spindashed his way into two more, finishing off with a well-aimed strike on an egg pawn and knocked it to the ground where it sputtered and died, freeing the ricky that powered it. 

Tails uncurled with a triumphant little cheer. "Sonic! Did ya see me-" 

He instinctively whirled about in search of his brother, realizing a beat too late that Sonic wasn't there. That they were only in this mess because he'd ran away in the first place.

He missed him with a sharp, sudden ache. It hurt almost as much as being electrocuted by a bot and he lost a bit of momentum, veering a little too much to the right. He heard Knuckles punch out another badnik, then something rammed into him.

Tails was knocked into the path of another badnik's attack, a bird bot that shot out a spinning cord with ball bearings to weigh it down. They spun through the air until they wrapped around his tails, binding them both together and halting his flight. With a startled shout, Tails dropped out of the air and fell to the ground with a hard thud.

Before he could recover, a metal claw slammed into his back. It held him down, talons digging into his sides to keep him pinned and squeezing the breath out of him. It was one of the grabber and buzz bomber duos. His ribs felt like they were being crushed in its grip. There wasn't enough room for him to wiggle his way out, no give in the machine's grasp.

"Tails!" Amy cried out, trying to clear a path to him with her hammer, but she was too far away, bogged down by several egg pawns. 

Knuckles was closer, his fist cracking down on another bot in his way before charging towards Tails. "No!" he shouted, diving for him a moment too late.

The buzz bomber grabber jerked up into the air, taking Tails with it and speeding up, up, and up towards Eggman's airship. Tails watched the ground get further away, the rush of air deafening him to Amy and Knuckles's alarmed calls. Desperate to get back down to the Mystic Ruins, he kicked and twisted and tried to get free, but it was no use.

"Knuckles! Amy!" he cried out.

"Don't worry, Tails!" Amy tried to reassure him, then whirled on Knuckles. "Knuckles, do something!" 

"Working on it," he growled, using another robot to launch himself up into the air, gliding after Tails.

But the badnik restraining Tails was too fast and took him too far from the cliffs of the Mystic Ruins. Knuckles couldn't glide for long enough to make it to him. At this point, Tails was well over the ocean and only getting higher. He could see the workshop on the cliff far below and wished he'd at least managed to get inside to get to the Tornado before all this happened.

A streak of blue caught his eye, bursting from the train tunnel leading through the mountains. Sonic. 

The blue blur veered suddenly, launching off the railroad tracks. "Amy!"

With a gasp, Amy turned towards the train tracks above them just in time to see Sonic before he curled up mid-air. 

"Hit me!"

Amy squared her shoulders and swung her hammer back in preparation. "Right!"

Sonic aimed his spindash down to her, shooting towards her fast. If she so much as blinked, she'd miss him. She didn't blink. 

Amy held her ground and dug her heels in as she slammed her hammer into Sonic's quills with a whirl. He shot back up into the air like a bullet, heading straight for Eggman's ship. Heading straight for Tails.

Wriggling with renewed vigor, Tails managed to pry a small enough opening to free an arm from the grabber as that familiar streak of blue headed towards him. Hope surged in his heart the way it always did when Sonic was near. Sonic wouldn't let anything happen to him.

But Eggman was prepared for this.

They were close enough to the ship now, both of them in easy firing range. The badnik carrying Tails crossed a threshold and an electrical shield powered up and blocked the path to the docking bay. Sonic collided with it, the shock stopping him midair. With a yell, Sonic uncurled, flailing from the impact as he was repelled.

"Sonic!" Tails shouted and reached for him, fear breaking over him as he watched Sonic reach back.

And he fell.

Fell away from Tails, fell towards the ocean. Tails kicked and screamed and clawed at the bot that dragged him into the belly of the airship, its grip not giving him a chance to try and catch Sonic out of the sky. The metal door slid shut with a mechanical hiss. The last thing he saw of his brother was the sea waiting to catch him instead.

Then it was only darkness.

Darkness, and the steady, piercing glow of the sensors of Eggman's robots. Chest heaving as he gulped down air, Tails renewed his struggles, wrenching his shoulders from side to side in search of any attempt to free himself. If he could get away, he could get outside, he could still catch Sonic before he-

The grabber that held him captive released him. He immediately face-planted on the cold, metal floor, his attempt to propel himself forward failing with his tails still bound. Two new badniks flanked him on either side, each one grabbing an arm to heave him up, just high enough so the toes of his shoes brushed against the floor. It hurt, but he was a big kid, he was brave. 

He'd faced worse and it didn't matter how much it hurt if Sonic needed him. Tails swung his legs left, kicking at the robot on that side of him before using his momentum to swing to the bot on the right, but they were solidly constructed and he didn't have the right angle. It didn't stop him from trying though.

"Put me down!" he hollered, the soles of his shoes pounding into the metal torsos of his captors. "Let go!"

"You're not going anywhere, fox boy." 

Tails stilled, his legs going limp as a light flickered on, illuminating a long hallway leading deeper into the flying fortress. Eggman was walking towards him, sporting a rather pleased grin beneath his twisted mustache. 

"Welcome to the Egg Frigata! The first of my fleet of new and improved airships. What do you think?"

Though he was panting, quickly tiring himself out in his struggles, Tails stuck his chin out and glared daggers at the mad doctor. "I think you're gonna be sorry," he told him, mustering up all the confidence he'd seen Sonic wield every time they faced him.

Eggman remained unfazed, however, almost gleeful, actually. "I find that hard to believe from where I'm standing."

Tails tried not to let it rattle him, but his heart was still racing as he thought about how long Sonic could hold his breath underwater for. "If you haven't learned your lesson yet, I don't know if you're smart enough to keep calling yourself a ‘doctor,'" he said, hoping it sounded close enough to something Sonic would say.

Eggman's sadistic grin did turn downwards, an annoyed grumble slipping out as he stopped walking. "Quiet, you impertinent brat. Or this situation you're in will become that much worse for you." He turned his attention to the two bots holding him hostage, in the light Tails could make out their serial numbers on their chest plates, E-100 and E-101.¹ No more Scratch and Grounder, apparently. "You two. Bring him here. Hurry up," he commanded, leading the way back down the hallway.

"No-" Tails renewed his squirming, looking back over his shoulder, helpless as he was taken further from any possible escape to rescue his brother. 

With how fast Sonic had been going, his speed was redirected downward, but he uncurled to slow himself down, for some wind resistance to buy some time as he fell to figure out a plan. Tails didn't see any bots directly below them, that didn't mean there weren't any there though for him to bounce off of. But working through a worst case scenario, Sonic would've hit the water by the time Tails had been dropped on the floor. Which meant he was already sinking by the time the two badniks lifted him up. Sonic could only hold his breath for a minute if he was prepared for it, forty-two seconds if he didn't get a good breath first. He'd been practicing, but it was hard when he never wanted to get in the water to try. Since he'd been shocked and then fell hundreds of feet, Tails guessed it would be closer to the forty-two second range, which meant…

Which meant it was already too late.

Tails's breathing quickened, getting faster when it felt like he still wasn't getting enough air. Maybe Knuckles was able to reach him, he could swim. But they were on a cliff, even if Knuckles or Amy dove into the water, they wouldn't be where Sonic fell, they'd have to swim to him and he'd sink too quickly for them to make up the distance in time. But maybe he found an air bubble under the water. Or maybe Sonic veered closer to the cliffs, maybe he got himself a little closer. Maybe he was able to grab onto the cliffside and run up it. 

His hope fought valiantly against the traitorous logic of his own mind, the odds and likelihood of Sonic's survival fading fast. He's alive, he's alive, he's alive, he told himself, again and again. If you repeated something enough, you could eventually believe it. If it worked for bad thoughts, then surely it could also work for good ones. He's Sonic, he figured something out, he always does.

"You think there's a single rational thought in his head right now?" Knuckles's words echoed in his memory, reminding him that there was a slight chance Sonic wasn't at his A game at the moment. Or even his B game.

He did willingly have Amy fling him out over the ocean without any sort of fail safe. He should've gone to get the Tornado and flown out after them. That would've been the rational thing to do.

Breaths still too shallow and too fast, Tails's vision blurred as tears rushed to fill his eyes. It was his fault. Sonic wasn't thinking rationally because he'd been missing for two days. Tails got captured because he wasn't where he was supposed to be and Sonic didn't hesitate to follow him even though it put him over the one thing that could slow him down. The one thing he'd take a long way around for if it meant not having to deal with going underwater.

"Stop that sniveling," Eggman barked at him. "It's ruining my moment of triumph."

Tails tried to even out his breathing, tried to calm down. Sonic's alright! He's gotta be alright! The tears still dampened his fur as they spilled down his cheeks.

If he wasn't alright…

A broad metal door slid open to allow Eggman and his hench bots passage into what appeared to be some sort of lab and security feed. There were several large screens mounted on one of the walls, showcasing many different angles and perspectives of the Egg Frigata, including outside of it. Including the wide expanse of ocean and the tiny sliver of land in the distance, getting smaller and smaller with each passing second as they sped away.

And no sign of Sonic.

He defied the odds before. He doesn't have the Chaos Emeralds. He'd fallen over the ocean before. But you were there to catch him in the Tornado. He'd gotten out of the water before. The ocean is too deep.

"Finally! Not exactly how I wanted to finish off that pesky hedgehog. I always envisioned it would be a bit more grandiose. An affair worth commemorating. But I'll take what I can get." Eggman examined each of his screens to make sure his airship was still secure - and to make sure there were no signs of life in the waves they left behind them - then continued towards a bigger machine. "Even so, every time I think I've bested him, that wretched rodent always manages to weasel his way back in to stop me, so I'm not taking any chances."

"What… what do you mean?" Tails asked, clinging to the childish hope that maybe if Dr. Eggman thought Sonic could've survived, then maybe he did.

But what does he know? This time the voice in his head sounded too much like Sonic. How smart can he really be if hasn't figured out a way to stop a couple of kids from breaking his toys?

"I was tracking you for a reason. With my superior technology, it wasn’t hard to ping your location in the Mystic Ruins."

"Why did you even care where I was? I obviously wasn’t with Sonic if he was posting missing person flyers." And didn’t it make Tails feel some kind of way at the thought of Sonic running all over Mobius with flyers trying to find him for days.

Eggman pointed sharply at him. "Nothing stops Sonic from trying to find you every time you're captured or wander off somewhere, and I'm always the first one he blames!"

"Because it usually is your fault," Tails replied, managing to sound matter-of-fact even through his sniffles.

"Quiet, I didn't ask you. In any case, I thought, why not make his worst fears come true for once?" Eggman pressed a few buttons on a console in front of the big machine, then flicked a switch to fire it up. "I'd capture you first, then send you through my old friend here. The Roboticizer."

Tails's eyes widened as the cone shaped device lit up in bright purple and green, creating a beam of energy directly over a solid platform. There were four curved supports holding it up, with what looked to be reinforced glass encasing the whole thing, save for the sliding metal door that opened when Dr. Robotnik pushed another button.

"I've made some adjustments to it. Worked out some of the bugs. Perhaps I've been going about the designs of my robots the wrong way. If I really want to get that hedgehog… I've got to hit him where it hurts," he chuckled darkly.

Tails shook his head, heels attempting to find purchase against the floor as the robots carried him closer to the opening. "No, no, wait-!" His tails tried spinning, but they were locked tight together as they dragged behind him, too heavy to even try to use them to get free.

"I'd like to try and see him fight his own 'little buddy,'" Eggman sneered the too familiar words, mocking them and what they meant to the two of them. "No use squirming. Enjoy your last moments as a living, breathing fox. But don't think of it as the end. Think of it as an upgrade."

Tails fought hard. He wasn't going to stop fighting to try and get free, even as his vision filled with green and purple hues and the hum of the machine grew to a deafening roar in his head. He didn't want to be a robot. This was different from using flickies and rickies as batteries to power his machines. 

If you broke through his metal, there'd be nothing trapped underneath.

An alarm blared through the room, echoing off the metal walls and muffling the hum of the Roboticizer. Tails's ears flattened to protect his sensitive hearing as his gaze flicked about the room for the source of it. Cursing his luck, Eggman shut down the machine and turned away from it to scan his monitors once again.

"Where is he? Where is-? Ah-HA!" Eggman finally shut off the racket as he found what he was looking for. "There you are…"

"Sonic!"

Tails's scream was swallowed by the air rushing past him as gravity yanked Sonic down and away from him. "Tails!" 

Sonic's outstretched hand closed into a tight fist, clenched around nothing when seconds ago he'd been so close. Even as he got further away, he could still see the small hand that had been reaching for him and the fear in his eyes right in front of him. He could've grabbed him if he hadn't been knocked away by that electrical field. He'd been so close. Sonic's eyes burned as he glared up at the emblem of Eggman's ugly mug grinning down at him and fire filled his chest. 

Though that might have also been because of fried nerve endings and how fast he was falling. 

Survival instincts kicked in. He threw both his arms out, trying to keep himself from becoming more aerodynamic to slow the descent somewhat to give him time to act. Fast, fast, fast. All he could see aside from Eggman's ship was an expanse of blue, unable to tell the ocean from the sky as he twisted through the air. There were no bots to bounce off of. He was too far from where they'd descended upon the Mystic Ruins. He turned some more, kicking at the air until he could see land in front of him. 

There. Something to aim for, no matter the distance. Sonic gasped for breath and tried to curl up, spinning himself in what he hoped was the right direction of the cliffs. He moved closer to them, but not close enough to actually land on them.

There was still too much ocean beneath him.

Sonic gritted his teeth and braced himself for impact against the harsh waves. Something wrapped around his leg and tugged, a startled yelp escaping him as he was jerked to one side, hip wrenched in an awkward angle. Flailing at the sudden change in direction, Sonic only just managed to tuck himself into a ball before he smacked into the ground. He didn't roll very far, partly because something was still tangled around his leg and partly because he met an obstacle in the form of a giant purple cat.

Dazed green eyes stared up at the cat in complete confusion, rapidly trying to piece together what exactly happened with a mind still sluggish from a lack of sleep and veins filled with as many shots of caffeine as he could stomach. The cat was holding a fishing pole. Oh. Sonic followed the fishing line to his own leg. He'd been fished right out of the air.

"Nice aim, thanks," Sonic complimented from where he sat, still trying to get his bearings as shouts of his name reached him. 

Amy and Knuckles were running over to him, both of them just as shocked as he was that he hadn't ended up in the sea. "Oh, Sonic! Are you okay?"

"Still in one piece, aren't I? But uh… definitely been better." His fingers were fumbling with the fishing line as he attempted to untie himself. "Nothing breaking all of Egghead's toys and getting Tails back won't fix, though."

Amy dropped to her knees next to him and swatted his hands away. "You're just making it worse," she chided, taking over to free his leg properly.

"Am not." But he didn't stop her from taking over. "What about you guys? You alright?"

Amy stayed quiet as she focused on the fishing line, but Knuckles didn't exactly appear to know what to say either. "Dr. Robotnik caught us off guard."

"Yeah, kinda noticed." Sonic frowned at him.

Knuckles closed his eyes and bowed his head. "I'm… sorry I couldn't protect him."

Sonic's quills stiffened, fingers digging into the grass as his own shame clawed to the surface. "It wasn't your job to."

"You asked one thing of me and I failed."

"Would you stop? I just said it wasn't on you."

"But he was under our protection-"

"Knuckles, I swear, if you don't shut up right now-!"

"Stop it!" Amy snapped, both in her tone and the actual fishing line as she leveled Sonic with a teary glare. "Just let him apologize!" She rubbed at her eyes before she could actually start crying, some of the tension dropping out of her shoulders. "Just let us apologize."

Both Knuckles and Sonic were quiet as they looked away from her, and with his leg now free, the latter hopped up to his feet. As much as he hated it every time, he was used to this. He couldn't wallow in the guilt that he hadn't done enough, hadn't been enough to keep one kid safe. The most important kid. And just looking at Knuckles's and Amy's faces… it really hit him how he shouldn't be used to this. What kind of person was used to putting a little kid at risk every day, no matter how brave and clever and just seriously cool that kid was? 

But he couldn't dwell on any of that. He needed to keep moving. Eggman was still getting away and they couldn't lose sight of him. 

Sonic gathered the tattered remnants of the fishing line even though it was no longer salvageable, and he offered it back to the cat who'd saved him anyway. "Sorry about that, big guy."

The cat took the fishing line back and pocketed it in a pouch attached to his belt. "It's okay. I can always get a new one."

That got a crooked smile out of Sonic. "It's on me. Just let me know what I owe you. I'd stay and chat, but right now I've got to pick up my little bro from a playdate he didn't ask for." He glanced back at Knuckles and Amy, letting a bit of wind out of his sails as he thought about all they'd done to help him so far and the toll it had taken on them. "I get it if you want to say no, but I could really use your help-"

"You really are an idiot." Knuckles brushed past him, fists clenched as he stomped his way towards the workshop in the distance. "We're using your plane to go after them, right? Then let's go."

Sonic blinked after him, exchanging a glance with Amy before flashing her a grin. "Well, he doesn't have to tell me twice."

"Me either," Amy told him, still rattled, still worried about the safety of a little fox, but determined all the same.

Sonic held his hand out to her, gearing up to run with her over to the workshop, but only after one important question. "You ever fly a plane?"

Chapter Text

"There you are…"

The red biplane was in pursuit of the airship on one of the rear cameras, gaining ground at a speed that shouldn't have been possible for her make and model. And she wouldn't have, if Tails didn't upgrade the engine at every possible opportunity. Tails gazed at the monitors in silent awe. If the Tornado was flying after them, then that meant…

"A little sooner than I would've liked, Sonic, but I can adapt." Eggman didn't sound all that put out by his appearance despite his earlier glee in thinking him destroyed for good. "This time I'll make sure you meet a more fitting end!"

Eggman pressed a different button, this one opening a door to the far right of the room. Tails only tore his gaze away from the image of the Tornado to prepare himself for whatever was about to come, legs curling up in case he needed to start kicking again. But nothing could've prepared him for what walked through that door.

The shade of cobalt blue was a little colder than he was used to, with a sheen that could only be found on metal rather than the quills they'd been based on, but Tails knew exactly what - or who - this robot was trying to emulate.

"Sorry to cut our visit short, but I've got a welcome party to prepare for a certain hedgehog," Eggman told him, then snapped his fingers and pointed at Tails as he addressed the robot that had entered. "See that he's fully roboticized, then you can join me to take care of Sonic."

The robot said nothing, but nodded as the red sensors that stood in the place of eyes shifted from Eggman to Tails. The stare was chilling. Tails curled up even more reflexively, his tails twitching in their binds. As Eggman strode past him, the robot moved to take up the position at the controls of the machine.

"Oh, and don't worry. It will hurt. A lot. I'd say it's been a pleasure knowing you, but you've been nothing but a thorn in my side ever since Sonic started dragging you around. Any last words you'd like me to pass on to him?"

Tails glared at him. "Yeah. ‘Good job beating Eggbutt, Sonic, and thanks for saving me.' Because that's what's gonna happen."

Eggman growled and stormed away, muttering something along the lines of, "You're definitely not getting a voice box." Then sealed the room shut behind him.

Leaving him alone with his robot guards, the Roboticizer, and with… 

A robotic copy of his brother.

Sonic pushed the Tornado as fast as she could go, his course solid and steady as they closed in on Eggman's airship. Knuckles stood at Sonic's usual perch on the wing, crouched low and his grip keeping him anchored, while Amy was squeezed into the cockpit beside him. They knew exactly when they were spotted, a low chuckle rumbling in Sonic's chest as he watched the defenses come online, the electrical barrier protecting all entrances to the Egg Frigata as drones deployed to take them down before they could get close enough to land on the ship instead.

But Sonic didn't need to land.

"Okay, Knux, I'm gonna get you close to one of those guns so you can take it and the rest of the major defenses out, including that electric shield!" Sonic called up to him. "Think you can swing that?"

"No problem!"

"Just make sure you give yourself enough time to get back to the plane!" Sonic reminded him.

Knuckles nodded, then pushed off from the wing into a glide, avoiding the gunfire and smashing a drone alone the way before he landed heavily on one of the turrets. He crushed it in three punches, then used his gloves to claw his way along the side of the ship to the next weapon's system. Sonic guided the Tornado through the barrage of bullets raining down on them, keeping her pace steady.

"Let me know when he takes out that barrier," he said to Amy, the brunt of his focus on flying.

"Okay." She was nervous, he could hear it in her voice as it wavered, and he couldn't really blame her, but there was no other way to pull this off quickly.

"You're gonna be fine," Sonic assured her. "You just gotta hold her steady. Nothing fancy. Once Knuckles is back on board you don't even have to worry about speed. Tails and I can make it back to you guys no problem."

"Right." Amy took in a deep breath, letting it out through her mouth as she kept her gaze on Knuckles, watching as he eventually made it to the electrical shield generator. Three punches to it and the buzzing energy fizzled out, clearing a path to the inside of the ship. "It's down!"

Sonic nodded, evening the Tornado out and centering her behind the Egg Frigata. "Okay, take the controls… that's it." Amy shakily grabbed on just under Sonic's grip, her hold tightening as he eased his hands off it. "You've got this," he told her again, climbing out of the cockpit to pull himself onto the wing, the plane only shuddering a little bit.

"Sorry!" she squeaked.

"You're fine. Just don't put us into a nosedive and we'll be good." Sonic stood up on the wing, eyeing the entrance Tails had been taken through. He likely wasn't there any more, but it was the best place to start for now. He'd take the ship apart piece by piece if he had to. "Alright, see ya around!" 

Sonic rolled into a spindash and launched himself off the wing, bouncing between the drones that led him straight to where he needed to go. Knuckles would continue to break the weapons on the outside, and Sonic would deal with the rest.

By the time he sliced through the metal doors, he could hear Eggman's cackling over the speaker system. "Welcome to the Egg Frigata, Sonic! So glad you could join us!"

A circle of egg pawns surrounded him, at least a dozen aiming their weapons at him as he paused to get his bearings. Sonic flashed them a dangerous grin, then spun through them one by one, his spines cutting through their cores cleanly until they collapsed and freed the flickies trapped inside them.

"Sorry, egghead. No time to play today," Sonic called out, then curled up and spindashed through the first doorway he could find, launching himself through the metal corridor as more badniks converged on his location.

"Oh, I won't keep you for long," Eggman promised. "Just long enough." Long enough for what was answered quickly when Sonic was briefly waylaid by a badnik blockade in his path. 

Over the intercom system, sharp, panicked cries suddenly echoed against the metal walls. "Sonic!" His little brother's voice wailed in surround sound. 

Sonic shot through the barricade, leaving an explosion of sparking, metal debris in his wake. When Eggman's taunting drowned out the sound of his bud's broken sobs, Sonic smashed the speakers and sliced through the wiring to silence him. He turned left, then right, then right again, then forced his way through the walls. He wasn't kidding when he said he'd tear this ship apart piece by piece.

"Sonic told me about you."

The vacuous room swallowed up his voice, making him sound and feel so small. The familiar blue color seemed so cold when it was used to coat a creation with sharp, silver claws and glowing, red eyes. This thing that looked like his brother, but wasn't…

Tails swallowed, tugging at his restraints, but he didn't budge. "You're Metal Sonic, aren't you?"

The robot did not answer verbally, but for the slow, barely there dip of his head. Tails shivered, feeling as though he'd swallowed a ball of lead, the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach all encompassing. He'd heard the stories of Sonic's time on Little Planet, during the time he'd tried leaving Tails with a foster family and couldn't go through with it. Tails himself didn't remember much about it, just that there was a short time where Sonic was gone and then suddenly came back. 

Whatever he'd seen on Little Planet sent him straight back to Tails, and looking at the sharp edges of a robot forged in Sonic's image, Tails could completely understand why.

Metal Sonic pressed a few buttons and the Roboticizer whirred to life once again. Tails twisted his wrists back and forth, heels desperately digging into the metal floor, still no purchase to be found as he was dragged towards the machine. The bravado he'd mustered up to sass Eggman died out, his hope that Sonic would come crashing into the room teetering on the edge of a knife with each passing second. His mind flicked through dozens of possible scenarios, each only half-baked in his panic. 

He cried out for help, for his big brother, hoping to guide Sonic to him if he'd already made it inside. He kicked at the badniks carrying him, tried to break their casing and joints with the soles of his shoes. His tails were useless, still tied together and weighed down with those iron ball bearings. It was no use, he wasn't strong enough to free himself and he wasn't clever enough either. 

He was an ungrateful brat who ran away from home and made everyone worry. Maybe he deserved to be roboticized.

Tears slid down his cheeks, a choked sob bursting out of him as he tried not to be scared. Inches from the machine now, he didn't want his last living moments to be spent crying like a baby. Sonic would be brave. He sniffled and gasped, reigning himself in as he stared right into the Roboticizer's beam of light. Tails craned his head back, another sob cracking through his resolve as he squeezed his eyes shut. Bracing himself for the pain.

The machine ground to a halt, the motor cutting and the beam of light in the capsule blinked out. Tails cracked open one eye with a whimper, watching the Roboticizer warily. It had been shut down. Blinking both eyes, he gave the whole machine a once-over, in case it was some kind of ruse.

The robot to his left exploded, shrapnel cutting Tails's cheek before he could duck, then the one on his right followed suit. Metal Sonic was looking right at him, the laser blast he'd used on the badniks powering down with a low hum. The restraints around Tails's wrists fell to the ground with no robots attached to them anymore. Rubbing them gingerly, he quickly backed away, putting some distance between himself and the Roboticizer, as well as Metal Sonic.

"Why?" Tails asked.

Metal Sonic said and did nothing.

The smart thing would be to try and escape. To run. But Tails also knew the chances of outrunning a robot that was designed to match Sonic's speed were less than zero. If Metal Sonic decided to pursue him, Tails would be at a distinct disadvantage, even if he had the use of his tails.

Unless the robot didn't want to hurt him…

But this was the same robot that kidnapped Amy, that tried to destroy his big brother, that was built by Eggman to be a ruthless killer. So…

"Why did you help me?" Tails asked again softly.

Metal Sonic lowered his head, the red glow of his sclera focused on his claw-like hands. The sharp digits twitched, curling experimentally as he considered them. Then they started moving. They started signing.

Tails watched with wide eyes as Metal Sonic slowly touched his chest, then the top of his head, "I… don't… know."

Metal Sonic knew sign language. Sonic hadn't signed to Tails in years, his memory of it fairly vague, but something he'd kept up on whenever they stopped in on a library, just in case. But why would Eggman think sign language was a valuable skill for his metal death machine to have? Why not give him the capability for speech if Eggman wanted him to communicate freely? 

Tails lifted his gaze from the metal digits to search the robot's face. Metal Sonic looked at him, but his expression was unreadable. There was no way for him to emote. No way except through his hands.

Holding up his own, Tails signed back by touching his fingertips to his mouth and then extending them outward, "Thank you."

Sonic never signed "you're welcome." He'd always wave him off like it was no big deal or give him a thumbs up, or if he did feel like telling him anything, he'd sign, "Here for you."

Metal Sonic didn't sign "you're welcome" either. He clenched and unclenched his hands several times, and in the end held up his two index fingers and pointed. "Go."

"But you'll get in trouble," Tails said, without thinking. "Why would you-"

Metal Sonic crossed his wrists, then pulled them apart. "Safe."

Fresh tears welled up and Tails felt like he was four years old again. Hiding out from badniks, not quite used to this life of adventure yet, but the safest he'd ever been because the eleven-year-old with him promised he would be. A promise that must've been really hard for him to keep.

"Do you- you have his memories?" Tails sniffled, pressing on to try and puzzle out what was going on. "Is that why you know how to sign? But why would Eggman import-?"

His question went unfinished, an explosion just outside interrupting him. It rattled the door to the room, then a second explosion crumpled the sealed entrance like a soda can and sent it flying into the opposite wall. The blue blur had only just zipped into the room before Metal Sonic's jet propulsion sent him careening right into Sonic's path. Tails ducked behind the wreckage of his old robot captors as the two collided with one another again and again, any attempts to put some distance between them fruitless.

Sonic's spindash couldn't crack Metal Sonic's exterior. It didn't even look like he'd left a scratch when they ricocheted off each other. Tails couldn't imagine how much that must've hurt him if it didn't damage the robotic copy in the slightest, but it didn't stop him from trying again and again.

"Out of my way, Metal!" Sonic shouted, zipping along the walls in an attempt to evade him.

Metal Sonic's jet engine whirred into overdrive, the rush of impact blowing out one of the surveillance monitors as he launched into Sonic and knocked him to the ground.

"Sonic!" Tails cried out, and Sonic was immediately looking up and around for him, eyes wide. He hadn't realized he was in the room.

Tails ran to him, but the speed with which Sonic reacted had the blue blur reach him first. He was pulled against his chest, a hand secure against the back of his head to keep him down and tucked close so the speed they traveled at wouldn't hurt him. It had been a while since he'd had to hold him like this while they ran. Something that had been more practical when he'd been smaller.

Back then, Sonic could still curl up enough into a ball around him, shielding him with his quills as they smashed through enemies. As Metal Sonic blasted them with the same lasers that took out the badniks, Sonic didn't even try to spindash again which told Tails all he needed to know. Like the ball bearings around his tails, he was weighing Sonic down.

Sonic made a sharp pivot, then they both went tumbling to the floor. Tails sat up quick, but he wasn't able to jump up to his feet with his tails still hindered, so he tried crawling to Sonic. He hadn't felt them get hit, but if he was hurt…

Sucking a hiss between his teeth, Sonic was clutching his hip, but he eyed it with more annoyance than anything. He caught Tails's movement out of the corner of his eye, then dove the opposite way to narrowly miss Metal Sonic plowing into him. He curled up and spun around the perimeter of the room, giving Tails time to stand while he kept his robotic counterpart away from him.

"You've gotten faster since the last time I saw you, Metal. Guess you finally got that upgrade. Too bad it's still not enough to catch me!" Sonic taunted as he uncurled, his tone jarringly different from when he'd first rocketed into the room.

Metal Sonic honed in on him and jettisoned forward to collide with Sonic once again. The hedgehog skidded across the floor, landing just a few steps from Tails. He didn't get up immediately, so Tails hurried to help him. The nearby whirring of Metal's engines snapped Sonic back into action. He shot up, standing in front of Tails to block him from Metal Sonic, his arm out to keep the kit from taking a step out from behind him.

"Look, I don't actually want to fight you, Metal! Just let us go!" 

Metal Sonic didn't care. He powered up his blaster and aimed it at the center of Sonic's chest. Without taking his eyes off his robotic copy, Sonic blindly reached back for Tails, hand ready to latch onto his wrist so he could run. An unspoken signal for Tails to reach back and hold on tight, expecting him to be there.

But Metal Sonic was blocking their only open exit. Tails could see in the way Sonic stood in front of him that he was favoring one side, so if his leg was hurt, he couldn't rely solely on running, but he couldn't spindash carrying Tails either. He needed to find Tails some cover and then break open another door to give them another avenue of escape. All of which would cost them precious seconds they didn't have to waste.

Tails didn't take Sonic's hand and moved out from behind him instead, standing in the path of the laser. "Please, don't!" he called out to Metal, before Sonic could push him back.

The laser was still buzzing with energy, Metal Sonic emotionless as ever as he stared them down. Those red sensors honed in on them both, taking in every detail to anticipate their next move and react accordingly. He was programmed for one purpose, and that purpose was to destroy Sonic the Hedgehog. 

Tails quickly moved his hands, knowing Metal Sonic would register the motion. He placed a closed fist firmly onto his open palm and moved them both up and down. "Help," he signed, the shortest way to tell Sonic he needed him, for whatever reason, and he'd come running.

Metal Sonic didn't fire the laser, but he didn't lower his arm either. Nothing to give away that he processed what Tails had done or that it meant anything. The real Sonic was still reaching for him, getting ready to run, eyes trained on his metallic counterpart, just daring him to try attacking and see what would happen.

Feeling exposed staring down the barrel of the laser, Tails finally reached back for Sonic. His fingers bumped clumsily against the back of his hand, but Sonic adjusted in a blink, swiveling his wrist so their gloved palms met. One squeeze. I've got you.

Tails squeezed back. I know.

The hum of the laser was unbearable as it reached its crescendo, Tails's ears flattening as a high-pitched ringing split the air. Metal Sonic had powered it up for too long. He had to fire. Sonic dashed to the side, out of the way of the blast, yanking Tails behind him and tucked them both under the console beneath Eggman's security monitors.

Metal Sonic fired his laser and it exploded on impact. Sonic covered Tails's body with his own, kept them both down behind the console, until they realized their shelter was still intact. 

The sparking of frayed wires drew their attention to the charred crater that had once been the Roboticizer. Whatever metal hadn't disintegrated upon impact had melted, the electrical components fried and smoking. Their gazes immediately sought out Metal Sonic. The robot lowered his arm, the laser cooling off and the hum of his systems quieting from the raging drive that had fueled him since the moment Sonic entered the room.

"What the heck?" Sonic muttered.

Metal Sonic turned to them. His limbs and head twitched and sparked as his sensors registered Sonic, but he held himself in place and didn't move towards them even as they stood up. Sonic's eyes darted between Metal and their exit, a route forming in mind that he was gearing up to try. Then Tails tugged on Sonic's hand.

"He saved me. Before you got here, he saved me from being roboticized."

Sonic swiveled to look at him so abruptly, it almost gave Tails whiplash just watching him. A look Tails couldn't quite read passed through his eyes, one that reminded him of a storm over the ocean, but it was gone faster than a flash of lighting and replaced with his familiar determination. He shrugged in a way too stiff to be as casual as he was aiming for and set Metal Sonic back in his sights.

"Guess even Egghead's so-called 'greatest creation' still has a few bugs. Typical."

Tails watched Metal Sonic lower his head, metal limbs still fighting against the protocol that forced him to see to the destruction of his own origin. "I don't think it's a bug…"

"No time to tinker with him to find out, Tails. We gotta jam and juice." Sonic flashed Metal Sonic a smile that wasn't entirely congenial. "You gonna let us through?"

Metal Sonic nodded once, then rose a few centimeters off the ground, hovering towards them. Sonic leaned away, pushing Tails back when the robot stilled in front of him. Sharp claws darted forward before either could react, a strangled shout ripped from Sonic as Metal went for Tails-

And cut his bindings loose.

Tails had barely registered it before he was grabbed, speeding out of the room and into a dimly lit corridor. Wide eyes caught the sight of Metal Sonic standing amid the wreckage for a split second before he was out of sight, but he'd seen enough. He was letting them go.

He was directly disobeying his programming, and he was going to get in so much trouble with Eggman, likely be dismantled and parts salvaged to be made into something new, but he did it anyway.

Safe. Tails wrapped his arms around Sonic and clung as tight as he could. He felt them speed up, zipping and twisting through the winding corridors of the Egg Frigata. They came to a sudden halt outside the engine room where he was finally set back down.

"You okay? Did he hurt you?" Sonic asked, racing around him to examine him faster than Tails could respond.

"No, I'm okay. He untied my tails." Tails wagged them freely, the muscles cramping a little, but mostly relieved to have his mobility back.

Huffing out the fastest sigh, Sonic lightly tapped the top of Tails's head with the back of his fist. "Good. Stay here for a sec. Just got one last thing to take care of first."

"You're gonna destroy the engine while we're still on the ship, aren't you?"

"No better way to do it! Hang tight." 

Sonic curled up and spun into the door, crashing through it and straight into the engine room. Within seconds there were several small explosions and smoke began to flood the room as Sonic reappeared at his side. He dusted off his gloves with a satisfied grin as something else exploded in his wake and the entirety of the airship shuddered and changed trajectory. Heading straight down.

"That outta do it." Sonic held out his hand and Tails grabbed on without hesitation. "But I think we've overstayed our welcome."

They sped through the rest of the ship until they found an escape hatch that led back outside. Visibly falling below cloud cover, the rush of wind nearly knocked them over. Sonic's shoes slid along the smooth metal exterior of the outer deck and Tails was swept up into the air, but his grip on Sonic kept him anchored. With a sharp tug, he was brought back down as Sonic adjusted him for a piggyback. Cautious of his quills, Tails banded his legs and tails around his waist and stayed low as Sonic started running against the wind, towards the back of the ship and against the angle they were falling, the airship shifting to a sharp nosedive. 

The intercoms outside hadn't been damaged, though the audible sound of Eggman cursing Sonic's name was drowned out by the blaring alarms and the wind around them. Tails wasn't sure if they'd had an actual encounter or not, but Sonic paid the mad doctor no mind as he focused on dodging falling bots and debris from broken defenses. If Eggman was smart, he'd focus on something other than yelling at Sonic, too, like evacuating.

Using some loose panels for momentum, Sonic launched himself into the air to bounce off the surface of the ship and get them closer to the edge. He was trying to use whatever he could to not put so much strain on whatever injury was aggravating him. Tails wanted to help, but he couldn't see the Tornado, and with everything coming at them, he wasn't sure he could carry Sonic and dodge fast enough.

His grip on Sonic tightened when they finally skidded to a stop at the very tail end of the ship. End of the line. Before Tails could ask him where the Tornado was, he saw her. Following the Egg Frigata at a significant distance, but the spot of red against the sky was unmistakable.

Tails felt Sonic tense beneath him, then let up his hold on the fox's legs so he could hop off. 

Sonic grinned down at him, not a single sign of concern written on his face. "Think you can make it, bud?"

"I…" 

Tails blinked at him, then bit down on his lower lip as he looked out to where the Tornado was. At least a mile back, if not two, and she was holding her position. If Amy or Knuckles was flying her, they didn't know how to descend to follow them down. They were running out of time for Tails to decide. If he had to fly upwards, it'd be harder than just straight across, especially if he was carrying Sonic… 

And he had to be carrying Sonic. He wouldn't go without him. Tails grabbed onto his hand to make sure he didn't try to make him go alone. He wasn't going to weigh him down. 

"I think so," he said, even if he wasn't sure. Even if there was no room for error, because the ocean was still the only thing beneath them. "Yeah. Yeah, I can make it."

Sonic's smile brightened and he squeezed his hand. "Okay. I'll give us a running start and then you take it from there."

Tails nodded, stepping backwards alongside Sonic to give them the space to build up momentum so they could use the back of the ship as another launching point. Clear some of the distance between them and the Tornado, as well as give Tails some air. He could do this. They could make it. He'd flown them out of tighter spots.

Blasters suddenly rained down on them, a few straggling bots still online and firing their weapons. With the clock out of time for deliberation, Sonic raced forward and Tails spun his tails in preparation before they took to the air. Aiming to use the leg that wasn't injured to leap with, an inconvenient shot made Sonic swerve off course. 

His weaker side bore both of their weight. Sonic stumbled and lost the speed he'd just built up. Instead of shooting through the air like a rocket, they dropped.

Tails held fast to Sonic, his free hand immediately grasping his wrist to strengthen his grip and flew up. Up, up, up. Tails's chest burned as he didn't dare breathe until they were level with the Tornado. Then a little higher, just to be sure they'd have the clearance they needed. 

They were still being fired on, so Tails weaved through the air - mostly on purpose, but also because Sonic's weight kept pulling him down. Everything still ached from the adventure that felt like a lifetime ago now, muscles crying out for rest and tails throbbing. But he couldn't stop. He had to get them to the Tornado. He strained against gravity's force, determined to pull both of their weight.

Sonic tried to help. He kept an eye on the blasts and swung his body from left to right in an attempt to help them avoid it. Tails bobbed through the air when he did, Sonic's arm twisting in his hold, but he didn't let him slip. Not even a millimeter.

They managed to get out of the range of fire unscathed. The Tornado close enough he could see Knuckles standing on the wing, beckoning them over, and Amy in the cockpit holding her steady. Tails took a deep breath and zipped straight forward. Jam and juice. 

He slowed down when they were a few feet away, carefully angling Sonic over the wing opposite Knuckles. He immediately had to reverse direction since the Tornado was still flying forward, backing up as Sonic dangled half over the wing and half over the ocean. Tails shifted so his belly was parallel to the sea, using his legs as a counter balance as he tipped Sonic down onto the wing.

His good leg landed first, bearing most of his weight as he brought the second leg down. Tails held onto him until he was sure he was stable, but before he even moved to let go, Sonic reached up to pull him in with his free arm. He tugged him right out of the sky and against his chest, both arms banding tight around him. 

And Tails realized it was the first time in over two days that Sonic knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was safe. Hundreds of feet over the ocean on the wing of a biplane while the airship of their enemy slowly sank out of the sky ahead of them, but safe. Home.

Tails burrowed against him and Sonic didn't even laugh at him for it when he hid his face against his shoulder. Instead, he hopped down into the cockpit, Amy scooting over to give them both room. There was a brief pause before he felt himself get passed over to her, settling into Amy's lap while Sonic took over the controls of the Tornado. It had been a long time since Tails had been in the plane while Sonic flew her, but he handled her with comfortable ease as he turned her around and set their new course.

Amy rubbed his back as he slumped against her, adrenaline leaking from him and leaving him drained. She murmured something reassuring to him, something he couldn't quite catch over the rush of air around him, but it didn't really matter. He didn't think the words were really the point.

The Tornado landed on Angel Island first. With Tails found and secured, it was time for Knuckles to return to his duty in guarding the Master Emerald. Sonic guided the plane into a bit of a jerky landing, Knuckles nearly losing his perch on the wing before he jumped off and landed in a crouch. Straightening up, he crossed his arms and glared up at the cockpit. 

Sonic chuckled. "Sorry about that, Knux. Be back in a flash, you two."

Jumping out of the cockpit, Sonic joined Knuckles on the ground, then the two of them headed for the steps to the Master Emerald's shrine, talking amongst themselves for a moment. Tails sat up straighter, watching the two of them from Amy's lap until he felt her shift around in her seat. She offered him a smile when she had his attention.

"That's a nasty looking cut." She gestured to her own cheek, reminding Tails of the scratch he'd received on the ship.

"Oh." He touched it gingerly, the sting from his gloves minor. "It's not that bad," he assured her, but she was already opening her purse.

"I carry around a few bandaids just for occasions like this!"

Tails quirked a brow. "For cuts from your robot captors exploding next to you?"

"I've been held captive by robots before," she declared, almost sounding proud of that fact. "Trust me, you only need it to happen once before you always stay prepared! Now, do you want hearts or flowers?"

She held out the two bandaid options, Tails opting for the baby blue with white flowers. He sat still on her lap as she fiddled with the wrapping, his gaze wandering again to where Sonic and Knuckles had gone. They were standing on the steps of the shrine now, the echidna saying something to Sonic that had him nodding and rubbing at his nose.

Amy placed her hand on Tails's jaw to guide his face back so she could get a better look at the cut, dabbing a dollop of antiseptic on her glove before swiping it over his cheek. Tails winced, but again, it wasn't the worst injury he'd ever received by far. Normally it wouldn't be worth such a fuss, but he remembered her teary eyes from earlier and the way she'd hugged him when he first landed in her lap, like he could be ripped away again at any notice, so he let her have this, if only to settle her own mind.

It also gave them an opportunity to talk, something still niggling at his brain. "Amy?"

"Yeah?" Her tongue was poking out as she focused on affixing the bandaid to his cheek.

"Do you know how Metal Sonic was made?"

"Oh." Amy stiffened, then pulled him in close to her chest. "Not really. Did you see him?"

He let her hold onto him, again, for her own peace of mind. "Yeah…"

"That must've been scary." She rubbed his back, like he needed to be soothed. Or maybe she did, too, so he allowed that as well.

"It was at first," he mumbled. "But then… I don't know. His programming seemed to act up. Do you remember if he acted strangely at all?"

Amy shook her head. "No. I mean, not strange for a killer robot, anyway."

"Oh…"

"Why?"

"It's nothing." His eyes followed Sonic as he gave Knuckles a thumbs up, the echidna already turning away from him as he continued up the shrine steps.

"Dr. Eggman did say something about him not being complete. Like he was missing something."

Tails blinked, lifting his head to look up at Amy. "The Metal Sonic that kidnapped you was a prototype?"

"I'm not sure exactly," Amy hummed. "I just remember Eggman saying he needed something from Sonic to complete him. It was like… bio data or something? Which doesn't make much sense to me for a robot. There's nothing biological about them!"

"Bio data…" That could be it. "Eggman does have experience extracting life energy from flickies and other animals to power his badniks, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for him to have figured out how to harness organic matter and imbed it into his coding. If he got his hands on Sonic's DNA…"

Amy tilted her head as she watched him process outloud. "Wouldn't he need like a blood sample or a cheek swab?"

"Not necessarily, but with how many times we've battled Eggman, it's possible he was able to collect enough of a sample to process it."

Amy hummed thoughtfully. "You asked if he acted strangely, how did Metal Sonic act around you?" she asked.

"He knew sign language," Tails replied.

"Huh. Well, he doesn't talk, so maybe Dr. Eggman wanted him to be able to communicate with him?" Amy suggested. 

Tails shook his head. "He can read binary code, he wouldn't need Metal Sonic to communicate via sign language. And it… I don't know. He just acted like he knew me… Like he-" Cared about me. "Anyway, he also overrode his own programming to give Sonic and I time to escape."

"He let you escape?" Amy blinked, giving that some thought.

But any further hypothesizing out loud would have to wait as Sonic dashed back into the cockpit of the plane. "Wave goodbye to Knuckles, guys!" he called out cheerfully as he started up the plane.

"I can fly us home," Tails offered while Amy craned her neck back and waved to the echidna.

"Bye, Knuckles! We'll be back soon to visit!" she called out to him, and he raised one fist in acknowledgement. 

"I'm already in the pilot seat," Sonic told Tails.

"Technically Amy and I were in the pilot seat first…" Tails countered, but the propeller was already turning and Sonic was guiding the plane back enough to give him clearance for take off.

They were in the air soon enough, though Tails could've gotten them up and out of Angel Island faster even if he didn't say as much, and Sonic set course for the Mystic Ruins. "What did you and Knuckles talk about?" Amy asked.

"Eh, nothing much." Sonic shrugged, pretending like his entire focus was needed to steer the Tornado. "You know him. He was just giving me another earful."

Though Sonic wasn't wrong, most of their interactions with Knuckles involved him getting chewed out in some fashion, Tails was curious as to what had all gone down in his absence. Knuckles had been so angry, after all. And the fact that he'd left Angel Island unguarded was surprising to say the least.

He didn't even leave the island for Sonic's thirteenth birthday party.

Guilt swam in Tails's gut as he watched Sonic begin their descent. Blue quills were unkempt and his fur a little frizzed, like he'd gotten wet at some point and hadn't properly dried off. He kept blinking hard, with intent, as he forced himself to look ahead with eyes that were a little red and puffy looking. Not like he'd been crying or anything, but like he was tired. Like he hadn't slept.

Amy said Sonic was worried about him.

Knuckles said Sonic wasn't thinking rationally.

Eggman found him because they'd posted missing person flyers everywhere, looking for him.

Metal Sonic saved him from being roboticized because somewhere in his coding, he had enough Sonic in him that he couldn't bear to hurt him.

He really had made the wrong choice in running away. It wasn't what either of them wanted, was it? Right now, Tails just wanted to hug him and tell him how sorry he was. He wanted to make sure Sonic was really okay, that he hadn't pushed himself too hard. It didn't matter where they were, he just wanted to be with his big brother. His best friend.

Tails kept his eyes on Sonic, only half-listening as Amy said something about calling someone called the Chaotix when they landed. She offered to help with something, but Sonic declined and said he'd worked something out. Without all the context, it was hard to follow the conversation, but the sounds of their voices were enough to soothe him, so he listened for that reason alone.

It was another bumpy landing. Tails had been considering paving a proper runway for the Tornado, but he didn't want to disturb the land too much - especially if they weren't going to stay - so it wasn't entirely Sonic's fault. Once they stopped inside the hangar, all three of them filed out of their tight squeeze in the cockpit and hopped down.

"After careful consideration, I think it's fair to say Tails is by far the better pilot," Amy declared as she dusted off her orange skirt.

Sonic held up both hands in the air. "No arguments here!"

Tails didn't say anything, too distracted by the sight of the backpack shoved against the wall of the workshop where someone must've tossed it after the battle. He could still feel its weight digging into his shoulders. What had once been a comfort now something that gave him pause, though he decided he was ultimately glad to see it was still in one piece. Safe and sound.

They both walked Amy to the train station. It didn't feel right to send her alone, even if she'd be fine. Whether Sonic didn't offer to run her home because of his injury or because he didn't want to leave Tails alone just yet remained undetermined, but if he had any complaints about waiting a couple minutes for the train, he didn't voice them. 

When the train pulled up to the station, Amy gave them each a firm hug. "It'll be okay, Tails," she whispered to him during his hug. "Just talk to him. He'll listen."

Tails nodded, holding on a little longer than normal before the train's whistle signaled for final boarding. Amy waved as she hopped into the train car and they waited until it disappeared into the tunnel, well on its way to Station Square. Then it was just Sonic and Tails. 

Sonic stretched his arms over his head, then looked over at him. The fox kit held onto one of his tails as he met his gaze, picking at the ends of it nervously. Time to face the music.

Except Sonic just lowered his hands to his hips and jerked his head in the direction of the workshop. Ready? He seemed to be asking. 

Tails blinked at him, nodding slowly, then watched as Sonic vaulted over the edge of the railing and drop dashed down to the ground, landing in a roll to keep from aggravating his hip. Tails coasted down after him in an easy glide, following him back to the workshop. Sonic stopped just under the balcony and lifted a hand in the air automatically. Tails saw his fingers twitch, a sudden hesitation rippling through his arm, but Tails didn't give him time to question it further as he grabbed on and lifted Sonic up to the second floor.

Sonic took out the key, unlocked the front door, then held it open, letting Tails walk through first before shutting it behind them. The first thing Tails noticed was that the microwave was still on the floor where he'd left it two days ago, though the note was gone. The second thing was that it was quiet. Neither of them spoke for a solid minute, both unintentionally waiting to see if the other would strike first.

It was no surprise that it was Sonic who cracked. "Are you hungry? When was the last time you ate?"

Tails started to shake his head, food the absolute last thing on his mind, until his stomach growled and he realized he actually was hungry. He nodded, but didn't even get a chance to answer the second part of Sonic's question as the hedgehog sped into the kitchen. Tails shuffled after him, poking his head in as he watched Sonic yank the fridge door open.

"No problem! I'll just whip us up- ah. Oh." There was still hardly any food in the fridge aside from the leftover chili dogs from two days ago that were surely too soggy to even be considered a solid food anymore. 

Sonic cringed as he stared helplessly at the empty space in their fridge before he nabbed a lone egg from the carton.

"How do pancakes for dinner sound? That okay?" he asked, his grin a little too wild as he looked to Tails for approval.

Tails nodded again. With a sigh of relief, Sonic dashed to the pantry for the pancake mix and a measuring cup for water. He spread all the ingredients out in seconds, mixing bowl and spoon spinning in place when they were tossed up to join them. 

"Great, then I'll get started on this while you take a shower. Don't think I didn't feel how matted your fur is, so I know it'd do you some good."

Tails glanced over his shoulder towards the bathroom, then back at Sonic. The hedgehog's own quills still weren't in the greatest state themselves, so it wasn't like he was one to talk. Tails really didn't think a shower was the highest on his priority list, but he also hadn't thought pancakes were either. Honestly, he would've been fine to skip both just so they could talk, but he wasn't up for starting a fight, not after everything Sonic had been through. He wouldn't fight him on this, it wasn't worth it.

"Okay," he agreed.

It was weird that his towel wasn't next to Sonic's on the towel bar when he walked into the bathroom, he'd had to bring it in with him from the backpack. And it was weird that the sink looked empty without his toothbrush in the cup next to Sonic's. And it was weird that he actually missed how the hot water felt against his fur as he lathered it up with his shampoo and worked out most of the knots. He'd always been used to cold water baths, or at the very least tepid, but the hot water soothed the aches in his muscles in ways he hadn't known it could do.

He tried not to take too long, rinsing off what he couldn't detangle without a brush, then turned off the water and shook himself out. He grabbed his towel after, rubbing it over his fur until it was only a little damp. He grabbed a new bandaid from the first aid kit for his cheek, eyeing the rest of their supplies for anything that'd be good for Sonic's hip. He hadn't seen any abrasions, so it might've been something only an ice pack could help.

Tails pulled on a fresh pair of socks, then padded out of the bathroom to check on Sonic. In a flash, the fur between his ears was ruffled as Sonic called out, "My turn!" then he vanished into the bathroom in a blink. The door shut and the shower started up again.

There were two plates of pancakes on the table, both untouched. What remained of the butter and syrup were set out in the middle and two glasses of water accompanied each plate. Tails climbed into his chair and started to spread the butter on his stack of pancakes. He took his time, listening for the shower as he left some butter for Sonic and switched to the syrup.

His stomach grumbled again as he sat back and waited for a minute. He could still hear the water running. Tails picked up his fork and cut into the pancake with the side of it, then took a bite. Maybe the hot water was helping Sonic's hip the same way it had helped Tails's aches and pains. 

Oh, right. The ice pack. Tails flew from his chair to the kitchen and pulled out the ice tray. He filled a kitchen hand towel with the ice cubes and tied it off in a knot so it wouldn't come loose. He brought it back to the table with him, hoping that Sonic would put up with it while he ate at least.

Tails was in the middle of his second bite when he realized the water had stopped. He stopped, too, and sat up straight, watching for Sonic to speed down the hall with his towel around his shoulders to catch the drips from his quills on his head. Tails waited and listened, his shoulders slowly slumping as the minutes ticked by and the pancakes got colder.

He's so mad, he doesn't even want to look at you. 

Tails shook his head and remembered the way Sonic held onto him when they reached the Tornado, how tight his grip had been, like he'd vanish if he let up even an inch. He thought about Metal Sonic overriding his primary function, because something in Sonic's bio data - something ingrained in Sonic himself - couldn't bring himself to harm Tails. Whatever was bothering Sonic, it wasn't because he didn't want Tails around. Hopefully.

Hopping down from his chair, he peeked down the little hallway. The door to the bathroom was open. A quick glance inside Sonic's room revealed that the hedgehog hadn't taken a detour there. Tails's ears twitched, his gaze turning upward as he heard the roof creak. He hurried to find his shoes, then stepped out onto the balcony.

The sun was setting, the same time of day when he'd left, which felt like so long ago now. The last of the daylight sparkled on the ocean's waves, an unexpected sort of comfort washing over him as he stopped to look at it. It was all still the same. It was still here.

Tails turned away from the water and eyed the roofline. Taking a steadying breath, he spun his tails and flew up to perch on the edge of the roof. Sonic was leaning against the railing of the observation deck Tails had added, his line of sight pointed exactly where Tails stood. There was no sneaking up on him now, but Tails wasn't really up for any more sneaking.

 Sonic tapped his foot, but it didn't look like it was out of impatience. He stayed standing for a few taps, then sat down on the deck and patted the space next to him. Ears and tails drooping shamefully, Tails slunk over to him.

"Are you okay?" the kit asked once he was sitting, pulling one of his tails into his lap.

"Yeah, just wanted a bit of fresh air." Sonic waved off, like neither of them hadn't already had their fair share of fresh air these past few days. "Air out my quills."

"What about your hip?" Tails asked.

"Eh. I've had worse. You know I heal fast."

But it didn't change the fact that it was Tails's fault. "I made you an ice pack. Just in case."

Sonic sent a smile his way. "Tell you what, if it's still giving me trouble tomorrow morning, I'll take you up on that. Sound fair?"

Tails still didn't want to fight, so he nodded. "Your pancakes are gonna get cold," he reminded him instead.

Sonic took the topic hop in stride and sent him a wink. "I'll just reheat 'em in the microwave. Give me a chance to try out those new settings you added!"

And that's what broke the dam, Tails curling up and hiding his face in his own tail as a muffled, "I'm sorry!" escaped.

"Hey, hey, hey…" Sonic's tone gentled, hastily pivoting as he turned to face him instead of the sunset. "I know, it's okay."

"No, it's not! I messed everything up!"

Sonic sighed, letting his head lightly thunk against the guard rail. "It wasn't all on you, Tails."

"I took the microwave apart and made you mad. Then I ran away and if I hadn't run away, Eggman wouldn't have found me, and you wouldn't have been tired enough to get hurt," Tails pointed out, voice still muffled in his own fur.

"Tired? Me? Not a chance, little-" Sonic stopped himself, a frown slipping through the cracks in his facade and Tails felt him shift towards the horizon again.

Tails hunched up further. Whether he'd been about to say "little buddy" or "little bro" didn't matter. What mattered was that he didn't think either of them were worth saying anymore.

"I'm so sorry, Sonic," he sobbed.

Sonic exhaled shakily next to him, his foot still tapping restlessly. "Look, I know now that you're not happy here. I didn't fully see that before, but now that I know I'd never force you to stay somewhere you didn't want to be. I'd never force you to do anything you didn't want to do."

"Except bedtime," Tails sniffled.

Sonic sucked in a sharp breath, Tails not entirely sure if he thought it was funny or if it had upset him. "Okay, yeah, except that. But I'm trying to be serious here, Tails."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have to keep apologizing." Sonic sounded pained, so Tails took a peek at him, noting how he covered his eyes with his hand. Upset then. "Like I said, this wasn't all on you. Maybe you made a mistake, sure, but you only did because I made a bigger one."

Tails lifted his head at that, blinking tearfully at Sonic. "But you never make mistakes."

"That's not true and you know it," Sonic let his hand drop as he laughed, but it was a forced sound, the lines around his eyes deeper and older than just the past few days as he kept his eyes firmly on the horizon. "But thanks for the vote of confidence, keed."

Sonic still looked so tired. Even after his shower, his quills were still limp and only half-heartedly groomed. His muscles were still tense, ready to spring into the next battle even if he didn't look like he could take another punch. Like the next hit would send him down and keep him there.

Like he expected the next hit to be from Tails.

"I didn't want to go," Tails blurted out, startling Sonic into looking at him again. "I was just scared. Everything was changing."

Sonic's shoulders slumped, the fight draining out of him even though it still looked like Tails might as well have punched him in the gut. "I didn't want you to be scared. That was the whole reason I did what I did. I was trying to protect you."

"You didn't tell me anything. Best buds don't keep secrets."

"I know, kiddo." Sonic closed his eyes and could only sit with that choice he'd made.

"And it felt like I couldn't talk to you." Tails's lower lip quivered as he watched him, not liking how resigned he looked. "But I wanted to. I still want to. I missed you."

Green eyes opened to find his, a glimmer of hope still shining in them. "Me too, little bro. I was never gonna stop looking for you."

The certainty in his voice, like it was one of the world's simplest truths, wrapped Tails up in the comfort he'd been craving for weeks. Because it was a very simple truth. It was something he'd believed in wholeheartedly until recently. That Sonic would always find him. That Sonic would always bring him home.

"I wanted our old life back, but it wasn't any good without you. I'm not any good without you," Tails hiccupped, scrubbing at his eyes with his fists.

Sonic reached out, brushing away some of his tears with his thumb. "Right back at ya, bud. I was completely useless without you."

"But you're Sonic the Hedgehog," Tails argued, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're the hero of Mobius. You did so much cool stuff before you ever even met me."

"Nothing near as cool as all the things I've done since knowing you," Sonic argued back with a wry smile. "All my best stories include you now. Ask anyone. Amy and Knux will absolutely vouch for how useless I was these past few days. I need my best buddy by my side, Tails, that's just a fact."

It was hard to believe, really, but there was nothing but honesty in Sonic's eyes - well, honesty and exhaustion - so maybe Tails could try. "Knuckles did say you weren't thinking rationally," he mused with a sniffle.

"‘Course he did. Good ol' knucklehead," Sonic snorted, shaking his head.

Tails's brow furrowed. "Why did you keep going out on your own though? I still don't understand. Does it have to do with the emancipation paperwork I found in the backpack?"

Sonic's ears drooped a bit. "Saw that, did ya? Well…" He turned his gaze skyward as he took a moment to piece together his thoughts in just the right way. "Gimme just a Sonic Second, keed."

A sudden gust of wind ruffled his fur as Sonic vanished from beside him, then again when he reappeared at his side with a thick packet of paper in hand. And the ice pack from the kitchen table. He settled down next to Tails and silently passed over the papers while he pressed the ice-filled towel to his hip. Tails took them, curiosity outweighing any confusion as he started reading.

"'Petition for Appointment of Guardianship of a Minor?' Is this…?" Written on the first line were the words: Sonic the Hedgehog to be appointed guardian of the minor or minors named in item 2 and letters issued upon qualification. Tails found item 2, his eyes widening as he read his own name: Miles "Tails" Prower.

"Apparently it's not such an easy process. Takes weeks of waiting around for some judge to decide if you're good enough to be considered someone's legal guardian. Which you've gotta be considered a legal adult for, and that's a whole other application on its own." Sonic waved his hand in the air lazily, doing his best to recline against the metal guardrail around the viewing platform, his good leg kicked up over his knee while he continued icing his hip. "Anyway, unfortunately for the guardianship deal you've gotta stay in one place in case they need to find you to ask you more questions. And you've gotta take a bunch of classes and schedule a home study and everyone involved makes it their life's mission to make the whole process a real pain."

Tails held on tightly to the packet as he stared at Sonic, holding his breath as his busy little brain frantically connected all the dots and pieced the whole thing together. 

"But I guess it's a big commitment and they're just trying to make sure the right kinds of people are taking in kids," Sonic continued, rubbing at his nose while purposefully avoiding Tails's stare. "A good guardian's gotta ensure that the one thing they've been entrusted with is safe and secure above all else, after all. So I get it, though I'm not gonna pretend to like it."

"You want to be my guardian?" Tails asked. "Permanently?"

"I mean, I already made that decision a long time ago, yeah. Wasn't planning on changing that any time soon. Regardless of whatever some court says, you're my little bro. No piece of paper gets to decide that. You and me, we're a team." Sonic sat up a bit straighter, shifting so he could angle his body towards Tails even if he still couldn't meet his gaze. "Which is where I made that pretty big mistake I mentioned before. This wasn't something I had any right to decide on my own. This affects your life, too, and you should've had equal say in whether or not we tried this at all. I'm sorry I didn't give that choice to you, Tails. That wasn't my intention with this at all, but… it's what happened. So I'm sorry."

"I thought you didn't want me anymore," Tails confessed, and that snapped Sonic's gaze right to him.

Sonic stared at him for a beat, then reached out, his hand finding the spot behind Tails's ear and scritching gently. "That'd never happen. Not ever. You're stuck with me, unless…" His fingers stopped rubbing, arm slowly retracting, like he'd overstepped an unspoken boundary. "You aren't happy staying with me. It's your decision, too, Tails. If this isn't what's best for you, then we can figure something out. You know, I won't force you to-"

Sonic had the wind knocked out of him as Tails bunted his head into his chest, arms tight around his middle. "I want to stay," his voice was muffled against his fur, but Sonic's ears perked up all the same. 

He started to respond, but had to clear his throat. "Now, don't just say it because it's what I want to hear, Tails. Don't even take that into consideration, okay? This is only about what you want and-"

"I want to stay with you." Tails hugged him harder.

Sonic was quiet for a beat. "You sure?"

Tails nodded, burrowing closer until Sonic had no choice but to shift to accommodate him, his ice pack forgotten so he could wrap both arms around him right back. "You're still my picket fence."

He heard Sonic's breath catch, felt his high speed heartbeat thrumming against his ear, then his head dropped to rest against Tails's, his body finally relaxing. "Right back at ya, little bro," he murmured, the words so uncharacteristically soft.

"I don't care where we live," Tails added hastily. "As long as we stay together, it doesn't matter!"

"We'll figure it out," Sonic hummed, the sound a gentle assurance. A promise. "We always do."

Nodding his agreement, Tails took a couple of deep breaths, then made to pull back to give Sonic his space. As soon as he moved, Sonic's arms tightened around him. Not yet. Heart impossibly full, Tails sank back into the embrace, both tails twirling in slow, happy circles.

Eventually, Sonic lifted one hand to scritch behind Tails's ear, then gave him a pat and let him go. Though he didn't go far. Shoulder to shoulder, Tails let one tail encircle Sonic as he turned his attention back to the guardianship packet. He picked it up again, rereading the first page when Sonic tapped the pages with his index finger.

"You can look through the rest of it," he told him. "Probably could use some proofreading before I send it in to Sable the Sourpuss."

That got a giggle out of Tails, the two brothers exchanging matching grins at the thought of calling her that to her face. "How did you end up working with her of all people?" he asked, turning the page.

"She volunteered to take our case!" Sonic went to recline against the railing again. "Guess we're just that irresistible."

Tails snorted. "Speak for yourself."

Lightning fast, Sonic poked his sides repeatedly, making him squeak and swat at his hands with the packet. "Oh, I don't think so, little bro. You think Amy and Knuckles helped out because they like me? It was all about you!"

"They like you, too!" Tails laughed. "They wouldn't put up with you for so long if they didn't!"

"Very true," Sonic conceded, propping his elbow up on top of Tails's head. "So my original point still stands. We're just that irresistible, Tails. There's no fighting it."

"Whatever you say." 

"That's more like it."

Tails rolled his eyes, but couldn't fight his smile as he went back to reading the packet. A lot of it looked like different ways of asking the same questions, Sonic's and his names repeatedly showing up to confirm that he was the minor in question and that Sonic was the intended guardian. There was a page all about Sonic's qualifications, and it was there that Tails found the first error. 

It was in regards to his assets and net worth. Since signing a couple merchandising deals - and only with sustainable companies that agreed to donate any additional profits to climate change initiatives - Sonic had asked for Tails's help in figuring out which tax forms he had to use for his income, so he knew a little bit more about what Sonic needed to put in those sections than he did. He made a mental note to fix that once they were back inside, turning the next page.

Explain why appointing this guardian for the child named would be in the child's best interest:

Sonic's handwriting was normally as scribbly as it could possibly be, but he'd clearly taken his time to be as legible as possible in that section as he wrote a full paragraph. Because he shouldn't have to worry about facing this world alone. I want him to know that he has somewhere - someone - he can always come to, whenever he needs it. I already know I'm always gonna be there for him, I just want him to know that, too. He deserves to know someone out there loves him enough to make sure of that.

Tails's breath hitched, and he reread it twice more, just to be sure it really was Sonic who'd written that for other people to read. His reading was interrupted when he felt Sonic's cheek press against the top of his head. Tails stiffened, almost feeling like he'd been caught looking at something he shouldn't.

"Sonic?" he asked hesitantly.

But he didn't answer. It took a minute, but Tails realized Sonic's breathing had evened out, soft and steady and deep. The full brunt of his weight had slumped into Tails's side at some point while he'd been engrossed in the packet. If Tails could see his face, he knew he'd find Sonic's eyes had closed and his expression gone slack as the tension of the past few days finally gave him a reprieve. He'd fallen asleep. 

Tails glanced back down at the guardianship packet before setting it aside, the fading light making it too hard to read anymore anyway. Sonic had been carrying so much on his own, and it had clearly taken its toll on him. While he knew there was nothing Sonic couldn't do, Tails would still make sure he never had to shoulder a burden like this on his own ever again. He could do that much for him. Like Sonic said, they were a team.

I already know I'm always gonna be there for him, I just want him to know that, too. He deserves to know someone out there loves him enough to make sure of that.

"Sleep tight, big bro. I'll take it from here," he promised, supporting Sonic's sleeping form as he watched the stars wake up in the sky while the last sliver of the sun sank beyond the edge of the horizon.

Chapter Text

He'd been able to salvage some of the security footage. Metal Sonic had kept up with that blue buffoon better than ever, so embedding the wretched hedgehog's DNA into his coding had been an unparalleled success. However, it still came with unforeseen consequences.

Though extracting the bio data from the quill he'd found at one of his buildings had certainly enhanced Metal Sonic's speed and his processing capabilities - his reaction time and accuracy had practically doubled - it apparently added something his creation hadn't ever experienced before.

Attachment.

Metal Sonic sat listlessly where he was hooked up to Dr. Robotnik's computers for scanning, head bowed and the ever illuminated glow from his visual sensors glinting off the metal of his claws. He'd sustained no major damages in the fight with Sonic, but had subsequently shifted into a low power mode nonetheless. Robotnik allowed it, if only so he could take his time running diagnostics while the pieces of E-100 and E-101 were salvaged and soldered back together aboard the Egg Carrier, the true crown jewel of his Egg Fleet. 

Before he'd viewed the security footage, Robotnik assumed Sonic had torn through his E-series prototypes to free his little fox friend, but then he found the edges of their metal casings melted and wiring scorched. The damage not at all in line with what he was used to from the hedgehog. It was, however, in line with the weapons tests he had Metal Sonic perform regularly. Playing back the security footage only confirmed that.

Metal disobeyed a direct order, destroyed his property, and formed an alliance with the fox child. No, not just an alliance. An attachment.

Robotink stroked his mustache as he looked at his creation… and if he didn't know better, he'd have sworn there was an air of despondency radiating from his cold, metal existence. Metal Sonic was not capable of emoting. He had not been programmed to understand emotions, let alone feel them, and yet…

The doctor grunted as he executed a start-process in his computer to confirm another in depth diagnostic scan of Metal's systems. "All this trouble from one measly quill." He pushed away from his chair and walked over to Metal Sonic, observing the way he clenched and unclenched one hand. "I'd say don't fret, but you shouldn't even be capable of that. I'll set you to rights, Metal." Robotnik placed a hand on the robot's shoulder.

The scan was completed. The results were as expected. Robotnik powered Metal Sonic down, then laid him back so he could crack him open and physically detach his attachments. There was no place for sentimentality in his greatest creation.

"Tails! Yo, Tails!"

One furry little fox head popped up from over the edge of the cliffside above him, high up enough that Sonic had to crane his neck back and shield his eyes from the summer sun with his hand to get a good look at him. "Is it time to go?"

"Just about, squirt. I'd start wrapping it up, if I were you!"

Which honestly meant he probably should've told Tails it was time to go about fifteen minutes earlier. Not everyone went at the same speed as Sonic. Tails was still quick as he gathered up his tools and secured the framework of his latest project so it would be safe up here in the Windy Valley until the next time he could come back and finish it. On one of his and Sonic's exploratory jaunts, they'd come across this place and it seemed like an ideal location for a wind farm to potentially create a cleaner energy source for Station Square. It was an ambitious project for a six-year-old, but if any kid could make it happen, it was Sonic's kid brother.

A kid brother he still couldn't help but tease from time to time.

"I'm waiting," Sonic called out to him in a sing-songy tone, grinning shamelessly as he tapped his foot. "Put the pedal to the metal, little bro!"

Hoisting up his toolbox, Tails flew down to meet him with a dramatic eye roll. "You could've helped, you know."

"Nuh-uh. Last time I tried putting away your tools, you gave me a three hour demonstration on the proper way to sort those little magnetic screwdriver heads." Sonic held both hands up as he backed away with a skip, sneakers bouncing on the grassy cliffs. "I learned my lesson."

"It wasn't three hours," Tails argued. "And you can't just mix up the cross and the flat screwheads like they're the same thing."

"They all go in the magnetic screwdriver handle thing, don't they?"

Tails sighed, but being a genius meant he was smart enough to know when to give up. Sometimes. He adjusted his grip on the toolbox as he hovered after Sonic, holding on with both hands since he'd stuffed it full with as many tools as it could possibly hold without the latch breaking. Sonic shook his head with a grin and held out one hand.

"What I can help with is carrying them," he offered.

Tails blinked at the offer, then looked over at the opening of the crater they needed to fly up out of to get back to the workshop and laughed. "Does that really count as helping when I'll be carrying you anyway?"

"It does in my book!" Sonic beckoned for the toolbox again, still walking backwards. "Could always make you take two trips."

"I thought we were in a hurry?"

"We are, and time's a-wasting, Tails!"

The fox handed over the toolbox, then took hold of Sonic's free hand and hoisted him up. They flew up and out of the Windy Valley, past the green field and the waterfall. Big the Cat was fishing at the pond, Froggy perched on a lily pad as he watched.

"Yo, Big!" Sonic hollered down to him and Tails shifted direction to fly them over to him instead of the workshop. "Any fish biting today?"

The cat turned around to spot the two of them in the sky, then offered them a wave and a nod. "If I catch a few more, we could share for lunch," he offered.

"Aw, sorry, big guy. We kinda have a thing today," Sonic told him, dropping down to the grass once he was close enough and Tails landed beside him.

"Oh." Big turned to look at the fox kit. "Is today the big day?"

Tails smiled brightly as he nodded. "Yeah! We're on our way right now!"

"Good luck," he told them both.

"Thanks!" Sonic gave him a two-fingered salute, then turned to Tails. "Race ya to the workshop-" Tails took off and Sonic cut himself off with a laugh before chasing after him.

They stopped in only long enough to drop off the toolbox and for Tails to brush through his fur, combing out the tangles from working in such windy conditions. Sonic actually stopped him for once to fix his bangs rather than ruffle them up, then gave him a onceover and a thumbs up of approval. 

They locked up the house and Sonic latched onto Tails's wrist, no time for him to fly along after him. "Time to jam and juice, keed." He winked, then they sped off along the train tracks towards Station Square.

"Okay. This is it. This is happening."

Tails looked up at Sonic. "Are you nervous?"

"Are you kidding? I don't know the meaning of the word," Sonic scoffed, but still they just stood in front of the doors to the courtroom their guardianship hearing was scheduled to be in. "You nervous?" he pivoted, just to take the heat off himself.

Tails bit down on his lower lip, his earlier excitement and bright smiles only a memory as his tails flicked anxiously behind him. "A little," he admitted.

Sonic tore his gaze away from the doors then, placing a hand on top of the fox kit's shoulder. "We did everything right. Filed every last document on time. They can't say we didn't do our best. And it doesn't matter what some random judge who doesn't know us says. Remember our contingency plan?"

"'Hightail it to the Tornado and crash with Knuckles on Angel Island until we're just a footnote in their cold case files,'" Tails recited, unable to help the tiny quirk of a smile.

"Bingo." Sonic pointed his finger in the air. "We don't need them to tell us what we already know."

"Right." Tails focused on his breathing, bracing himself for a different kind of battle than they were used to. "Ready?"

Sonic stretched his legs for good measure, and got Tails to full-out laugh this time. "Set," Sonic confirmed.

They both looked at each other. "Go."

The courtroom doors swung open before either of them grabbed onto the handle, both stunned into stillness as a familiar cat in green spectacles and a pencil skirt stood before them with an equally familiar, disapproving stare.

"You're late," she said simply.

"Excuse you, we're right on time." Sonic pointed at his hearing form, with the court date and time printed on it as the minute hand on the clock on the wall moved to the next tick mark. "Might need to get your prescription checked."

Sable didn't rise to the bait, just stood aside and crossed her arms. "Get in there."

Sonic folded up the piece of paper and placed his hand against Tails's back as they walked into the room, the hedgehog miming her command with an exaggerated face. Tails nudged him sharply, the nervous look back on his face. Sonic gave up on the bit and rubbed between his shoulders to reassure him again, his own heart beating a little bit quicker as he took in the court clerks silently waiting for them.

But there were two other faces there that were more than a welcome sight to behold. Amy and Knuckles sat in the row just behind where Sonic and Tails were going to sit. The pink hedgehog waved as they walked by, while the echidna arched his brow.

"She's right, you are late," he muttered as Sonic passed him.

"I'm never late," Sonic countered.

Tails huddled against his side. "Sonic, they're looking at us…"

They were, but it was to be expected. The two of them were the whole reason everyone was gathered, after all. But Sonic had been through this before. He guided Tails to his seat, then took his own next to him. Sable the Social Worker sat on Sonic's other side, sandwiching him in the middle. It wasn't his favorite place to be, too confining, trapped on either side, but he'd endure what he had to for Tails's sake.

"All rise for the honorable Judge Reed E. Plume presiding," the court bailiff announced.

Tails was the first to stand up, shoulders stiff and tails at attention while everyone else in the courtroom followed suit. Sonic squeezed his shoulder. His guardianship petition wasn't going to hinge on how well the kid adhered to court procedures, he could relax a little.

A crane mobian in a black robe entered the room and called for them all to sit as she took her place behind the podium. "Next on the docket, we have a guardianship appointment. Calling in the matter of Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles Prower. Please identify yourselves for the record."

Sable stood first. "Good afternoon, your honor. Sable the Cat, social worker of Station Square division on behalf of my clients Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles Prower."

Judge Plume smiled at her, recognition clear in her eyes. Sonic's quills stiffened as he flicked his gaze to the social worker. As much as she'd helped them, he wasn't sure he liked that they seemed to know each other, even if it made sense. There were probably only so many judges and social workers, they were bound to cross paths sooner or later.

Suddenly the crane's eyes were on him and Sable sat back down. "Sonic the Hedgehog. Er. Petitioner filing for guardianship of Tails- I mean, Miles Prower." He couldn't help the quiet, frustrated huff as he dropped back down, arms crossed as he ignored the judge's amused smile and Amy's giggles behind him.

Then it was Tails's turn. The kit swallowed thickly, but he stood up by himself to face the judge as all eyes in the room turned to him. "Good afternoon. I'm Miles Prower," he managed to say, hands clenching into tight fists. "Your honor."

He sat back down quickly, his cheeks bright red with embarrassment as Sonic rubbed his shoulder to reassure him. "You did great, bud," he whispered as the judge moved on.

It was mostly a bunch of procedural lingo after that, legal jargon that went over Sonic's head despite all the classes and workshops. Nothing but lived experience could really prepare anyone for the real deal, and this wasn't an experience many people made a point to live through more than once if they didn't have to. Sable did most of the talking, presenting the requested forms when asked.

"And do the parents of Miles Prower have any objections to the proposed guardianship?" Judge Plume asked.

If they were still alive, they didn't have any right to object in Sonic's opinion, but the fact of the matter was he didn't know, and didn't think he'd ever know. "There are no parents on record," Sable told her. "Miles Prower is a foundling child. In the absence of any representative, Miles Prower has become a dependent of the United Federation and temporary guardianship has been granted to one Sonic the Hedgehog, due to expire in ten days."

Judge Plume addressed Sonic this time, her tone naturally warm. "Do you intend to extend your temporary guardianship over Miles Prower to a long-term guardianship?"

Sonic didn't remove his hand from Tails's shoulder. "Yes."

"What is the petitioner's motive to become the long-term guardian of Miles Prower?" the judge asked, her voice still calm and steady, but the question still made him bristle.

"Because he needs a guardian and I'm the best person for the job." Sonic could feel Sable's sidelong glance his way, but he ignored it. "And because he's my brother. We're a team."

"Do you agree to the terms of the guardianship of which you will be bound until Miles Prower turns eighteen years of age or until the guardianship is dissolved?"

Sonic's gaze narrowed, the latter would only occur if Sonic himself appointed someone else to be Tails's guardian or if he was deemed unfit. "Yes."

"Miles Prower," the judge remained gentle as she spoke to the kit. "Do you have any objections to the petition that you would like to make known to the court?"

Tails's eyes were wide as he shook his head. "No, your honor. No objections."

"Do you have anything you wish to add to the court's record?" she asked and watched as his nervous gaze wandered over to the court clerks and the bailiff standing in the room before finally landing back on the judge. "You don't have to. A statement is optional."

Tails swallowed and shook his head, then spoke up, "I know Sonic tried really hard to do everything perfectly. This whole process… he worked so hard at it because he believed it was the right thing to do and when he believes in something, he puts his all into it. That doesn't mean he did everything perfectly though. But the thing is, your honor, perfection is a fallacy. Scientifically speaking, nothing can be perfect. There's no perfect research or perfect science. The best any good scientist can hope for when collecting data is 'good enough,'" he rambled, then seemed to catch himself, his face hot as he bowed his head, but managed to hold the judge's gaze nonetheless. "So it might not be scientifically possible for Sonic to be perfect, but he's the next best thing. He's good enough for me."

Silence reigned in the courtroom once the court recorder finished jotting down the last of Tails's impromptu speech. Beside him, Sonic could only stare at him. He felt Sable's quiet chuckle at his side, but even that wasn't enough to shake the awe he felt looking at what seriously had to be the coolest kid he'd ever know.

Nerves crashing into him anew, Tails squirmed where he stood and grabbed onto one of his tails. "The defense rests!" he blurted out, then dropped back down to his seat, ears lowered as a low murmur of amused cooing buzzed throughout the courtroom.

Judge Plume banged her gavel once for order and the room quieted. Sonic took the opportunity to find Tails's hand under the table and squeezed. The kit immediately squeezed back, releasing his tail in favor of holding onto the guy he thought was good enough to be his guardian. Not that Sonic had any doubts, but…

If his chest was a little tight and it was stupidly hard to breathe even though he wasn't even underwater, no one had to know but him.

"Thank you, Miles." Judge Plume smiled kindly at him, despite the interruption, then cast her gaze about the room. "If there are no objections…?" She permitted a long pause to which no one said a word before she looked at the two brothers again. "Then after reviewing the contents of the petition, I find by clear and convincing evidence that Sonic the Hedgehog is considered to be a fit and proper guardian. I hereby award him full, legal guardianship of Miles Prower by the power vested in me by the United Federation." 

And then it was over.

Sonic shouldn't have been surprised - again, they did everything right and with Tails coming in clutch at the end, all the paperwork really was pretty much as close to perfect as they could get it - and he was decently sure that he wasn't actually surprised. It was just hard to believe that it was over. They did it.

Tails appeared to be in the same boat, eyes wide as he stared at the judge without really focusing, his mind going a mile a minute. Or a million miles per hour. Sonic recovered first, cracking a grin as he squeezed his hand again and gently nudged Tails with his knee. The kid swiveled to look at him, then Sonic tilted his head encouragingly. 

"Go ahead. Go get the certificate."

"Oh!" Tails nodded, then slid out from his seat and walked up to the judge's bench. 

Judge Plume leaned over and handed him the certificate, signed and stamped with her official seal. They now had in writing that the guardianship of Miles "Tails" Prower was officially in the hands of Sonic the Hedgehog. It was about time people caught up.

Tails held the paper so gently, his gaze soaking in the finality of it. The physical proof that he was exactly where he belonged. Tails spun to find Sonic, but the hedgehog already met him halfway, hoisting him up on his shoulder with a triumphant cheer.

"Congratulations!" Amy cheered, bouncing out of her own seat, camera up and snapping pictures of the brothers. "Oh, oh, oh! Hold up the certificate so I can get it in the picture!"

"Amy," Sonic sighed, but Tails proudly showed it off, so he couldn't be too put out by it. He really couldn't be too put out by anything, honestly.

Sonic set Tails down, draping his arm around his shoulder as he held up two fingers so Amy could get another photo, then zipped away out of frame. 

"That's all you're getting from me," he told her. "You know I hate standing still."

"You're gonna want these someday!" she replied. "This is a treasured memory and you'll be thanking me that I took these pictures, just you wait!"

"And when that day comes, you can be the first person to say 'I told you so,'" he countered, then turned his attention to Knuckles as he watched him approach Tails, eyeing the certificate with curiosity.

Tails happily showed it off to him, explaining what legal guardianship was in way more complicated terms than it warranted, but Knuckles did his best to follow along regardless. He'd already gotten a bit of a crash course in the actual difference between being a guardian of a sacred object and being the guardian of a kid, but Sonic had definitely glossed over a lot of the nitty gritty that he hoped would never apply to him.

Because on a page that he didn't let Tails see - one he knew for an absolute fact that it was for the best that he didn't see and it was the last thing he'd keep from him, he swore that - he had to make a call that he didn't ever like to think about. In the event Sonic was rendered… physically incapable of being Tails's guardian before the kid turned eighteen, he'd had the option to choose someone who he'd like to take over for him in his stead. He'd asked Knuckles. 

Being the last of his tribe, there was no one to contest whether or not he could be considered a legal adult by their standards, and Sonic didn't think even the United Federation would stoop that low as to try when Knuckles had nothing but the bones of his ancestors to look to for guidance. He'd done his research. There were exceptions and special circumstances considered for different tribes all the time, there was no reason Knuckles's tribe couldn't be one of them.

He'd asked him right after they'd rescued Tails from Eggman, when they dropped him off on Angel Island after those two frantic days. It was one of the few times he'd actually rendered Knuckles speechless. It was a pretty satisfying look for him, Sonic had to say.

"You hardly know me," he'd eventually argued.

"I know you dropped everything to help my little brother," Sonic had replied. "And you didn't have to."

"But I let him get taken right out from under my watch."

Sonic shrugged. "You also let the Master Emerald get taken from you, too, but then you fought like hell to get them both back. You made a mistake, and then you did something to fix it. I dunno. Call me naive or hopelessly optimistic or whatever, but that seems more important in my eyes than the mistake."

Knuckles crossed his arms. "You're not going to give up on your guardianship duties so easily, are you? He needs you."

It was Sonic's turn to be struck silent, not expecting those words from Knuckles, of all people. Not when everything that had happened these past three days had been his fault. When he'd done nothing but make mistake after mistake from the moment he took his eyes off Tails for five seconds that day in Twinkle Park…

"Heh. Thought you didn't think I have what it takes to be a guardian?" Sonic recovered, rubbing at his nose.

"I didn't." Knuckles closed his eyes and turned his head away. "You proved me wrong. Don't let it go to your head."

Well, if he could convince Knuckles, maybe there was still a chance he could convince Tails of that, too.

The echidna eventually agreed to stand in as a back-up guardian, and Sonic could breathe a bit easier knowing that the judge would likely appreciate that he'd made an effort to secure a contingency plan for Tails, even if it was Sonic's plan to do everything in his power to make sure he never needed that. 

In the courtroom, Knuckles met his gaze over the top of Tails's head and nodded once. Sonic grinned back, then spared a quick glance over his shoulder. His social worker was on the move. He grimaced. Still one last thing to take care of. He held up one finger to Knuckles to ask for a minute. The echidna frowned in confusion, but made no move to stop him as he walked away.

Sable the Social Worker arched her brow as Sonic shuffled over to her, his eyes casually scanning the entirety of the courtroom without landing on her once. When he stopped in front of her, still determined not to look her in the eye, he held out a single sheet of paper to her. She adjusted her green, half-moon spectacles before taking it from him.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Don't pretend you don't know," he grumbled, crossing his arms. "I kept my end of the deal, that's all. Just figured you should know."

Her mouth curved into a smug sort of smirk. "Ah. Your circle of support worksheet."

Sonic grimaced, but didn't argue the point. "See? Two circles filled out. You win."

Sable shook her head. "I'm not the only one who wins when you have a support system in place." She looked pointedly at the group behind him, just over his shoulder. "See?"

Sonic turned around, watching Amy still trying to take a good picture of Tails holding up his guardianship certificate, whose embarrassed smile turned into something genuine when Knuckles said something that made the kit laugh. Pleased that his joke landed, Knuckles set his gloved hand atop Tails's head and took care to ruffle his fur gently. Amy huffed, apparently not as amused at whatever Knuckles had said, but she got over it quickly enough, snapping a few pictures of the scene in front of her. Then Knuckles stepped aside and Tails beamed at her for the picture she'd been trying to get the whole time.

Sonic's shoulders relaxed, his defensiveness easing when he turned to face Sable again. This time he met her gaze evenly, a grin quirking his mouth. "Yeah. Guess your circles might be onto something. Maybe they're not a total waste of time."

"Admitting when you're wrong. You really have grown up."

"I can admit when I'm wrong. It's not my fault that rarely happens." Sonic shrugged, then his grin turned into something a little softer. He held out his hand to her suddenly. "Thanks, by the way. I don't think I ever said it."

"You didn't." Sable took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "Congratulations. I hope I never see you again."

"Likewise!" Sonic chuckled, then gave her a wink. "Maybe I'll send you a Christmas card."

"Please don't. I don't need to be reminded of this time. Now that I'm done with your case, I'm about to take a well-deserved vacation for at least a week. I have been counting down the days, let me tell you."

"Only one week?" Sonic leaned back with his hands on his hips. "Shoulda made it two."

"If I had that kind of vacation time, I would've. Trust me." 

She handed him back the circle of support worksheet. Sonic blinked as he took it back, confusion rippling across his face. 

"It's for you to keep. As a reminder. And maybe to add onto over time. Might be nice to see how it grows along with you."

The two circles he'd filled out were The Rock and The Wise, Amy and Knuckles's names in each circle respectively. Since she'd been through one of the, quite frankly, rockiest times of his life with him, helping him right from the start even though she'd probably had better things to do, Amy seemed to encapsulate what it meant to be someone's rock. There in the difficult times, supporting unconditionally. 

And though he'd rather be impaled by one of Eggman's spikes before ever admitting to his face that he thought he was wise, Sonic couldn't think of anyone who fit the role of brutal truth-teller better than Knuckles. He was actually pretty good at telling him what he needed to hear, apparently. Especially when he didn't want to hear it.

There was one other person he knew he wanted to add without a shadow of a doubt, but held back in case it prompted Sable to give him one of those talks about healthy boundaries. Sonic looked up from the worksheet to find Tails, only to find the fox kit watching him right back.

He was still holding onto the certificate, gaze curious as he waited for Sonic to finish whatever it was he was doing so they could go home. Together. Yeah, if there was anyone who belonged anywhere on this worksheet, it was Tails. Sonic grinned and held up a finger. One sec.

"Looks like you're needed elsewhere," Sable said.

"Yep. A guardian never rests." Sonic folded up the worksheet and tucked it away. "I'd say see you around, but you made it very clear you don't want that."

"If I find you in my office again, I will have security escort you out."

Sonic flashed her a grin. "They gotta catch me first."

With that, he zipped back over to his friends, tugging Tails into a surprise headlock. He held tight as he ignored his playful protests, reading the guardianship certificate over Tails's shoulder. 

"So all that for a piece of paper, huh?" Sonic dropped his chin atop Tails's head.

"Yep." Tails held it up so he could see it better. 

"Way past cool." Sonic grinned, unable to pretend it was anything but. "I don't know about you, but I'm about ready for some supersonic speed, keed. You with me?"

Tails tipped his head back to look up at him. "Could we make a stop first?"

It hadn't been the hardware store, though that was what everyone had expected. Instead Tails had gone into a thrift store in search of a frame. He'd found one that fit, no cracks in the glass and only a little worn at the edges, some of the wood faded over time.

Tails knelt on top of the worktable in the workshop, nail gun in hand and aimed at the sheet metal wall. He pressed the trigger, not embedding the nail fully, then set it down and picked up the new thrifted frame. He hung it up by its wire, then used a level to straighten it out, tongue poking out as he concentrated.

Going unnoticed by the staircase, Sonic watched him adjust it a few times, grinning shamelessly. They hadn't been home five minutes.

Satisfied with his work, Tails sat back on his heels and admired the guardianship certificate, front and center right above his workspace. His tails spun happily, not enough to send him airborne, but enough to deserve some gentle ribbing. 

"Hey, little bro!" Sonic zipped up behind him, startling him into falling off the worktable, but caught himself with a purposeful whirl of his tails. "It's crooked."

Tails frowned, his cheeks burning with embarrassment as he eyed the frame. "It is not," he argued. "I used a level."

"Well, from where I was standing it was."

"It doesn't matter how it looks from where you're standing. What matters is how it looks to me while I'm working," he huffed, lowering himself back to the floor.

Sonic gave it another onceover now that he was closer. "It looks like it's leaning to the left." Tails thwacked him with one of his tails. "But it's your workshop, bud! Your eye for interior design!" He held up his hands placatingly as he dashed back a few steps to escape his wrath.

"Did you want something?" Tails asked, and Sonic had to choke back a laugh. Gosh, his kid brother was six going on sixteen with an attitude like that. 

"Nothing major," he assured him. "Was thinking of going for a run. Want to come?"

Tails's grumpy expression fled as he gave it some honest thought. "Are you going far?"

"Mm… don't think so. Just got the itch after being cooped up in that courtroom." Sonic started stretching out his legs to prepare and appease the urge to move.

Tails glanced around his workshop, the room slowly filling up with more tools and projects over the last few weeks. A few small wind turbine models were sitting atop his workstation at the moment, and he picked one up to fiddle with the blades. 

"I think I want to stay here, if that's okay?" Tails asked.

Sonic planted his hands on his hips. "Yeah, bud, it's okay with me. But you're sure?"

Tails smiled and nodded. "Yeah! I've got some stuff I want to work on, but maybe we could go for a run tomorrow?"

The hedgehog sped forward to muss up his bangs. "Sounds good to me, little buddy! We can make a day of it! Maybe hit up Mirage Saloon again."

Tails's ears perked up despite his fur being messed with. "For celebratory ice cream?"

"I'd say we deserve it. What about you?"

"We definitely deserve it," he agreed without hesitation. "Can I get two scoops?"

Sonic quirked a brow. "But you only ever get mint chip."

"So? Who says the two scoops can't be the same flavor?" Tails asked.

He had a point there. "If you want two scoops of mint chip, we'll do two scoops," he chuckled, then held out his fist so Tails could eagerly bump it with his own. "Be back in the bat of an eye, little guy."

"Have a good run!"

Sonic slid open the door to the hangar instead of going back upstairs. It was a beautiful day, a few white clouds in the sky and the start of summer hanging in the air. Casting a glance back at Tails, he pointed to the hangar door in a silent question of whether or not he could leave it open. Tails gave him a thumbs up, so he gave the sheet of metal a pat and ducked out.

Though not before Sonic snuck one last peek at him from around the corner, catching the little fox as he stepped back from the worktable and considered the frame from a little further away. Tails tilted his head with a hum, then flew up to land on the worktable again. Very gently, he adjusted the guardianship certificate a little to the right. He hopped down, stood back, then placed his hands on his hips and nodded to himself.

Sonic flicked his eyes up to check it, too. As close to perfect as it could be. He held back a laugh as he turned to go, picked a direction, and ran. Good enough for him.