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"I've heard of these!" Awed, Tails leans forward to inspect the little lollipop. He turns to Sonic with big, excited eyes, asking, "Is the stick really edible?"
"If you're not a coward," Sonic responds, flashing him a smile. He's an expert at this older brother thing.
"Can I..." Tails' ears flatten, tails twisting together nervously. His voice breaks off into a whisper, "have one?"
Sonic hands him two, with a big wink. And, glancing over his shoulder at the echidna at the table, grabs a third. "Here, Knux!"
Knuckles... was having a little more trouble adjusting to Earth. Tails knew everything there was to know and lacked only in actual experience. Knuckles just lacked. (Sonic couldn't help but think about how strange that was. He'd been on Earth for almost eight years— how hadn't Knuckles shown up sooner?)
All that to say: Knuckles looks at the lollipop and then back up at Sonic like he's not sure what to do with it. Because he probably doesn't.
"It's candy," Sonic tries. Knuckles sort of just looks at it some more. "I... have other flavors, if you want?"
"Oh." Knuckles blinks. "It is for me?"
It takes every ounce of focus to not sass him. No, I just set it in front of you for fun?? Sonic nudges the sucker a little closer. "Yeah, dude. The wrapper can be kinda—"
Knuckles chomps the head right off, wrapper and all.
"Okay. Well." Sonic stammers, mouth opening and closing a few times. "That works!"
...
Tails had familiarized himself with the Wachowski household a little more. He was still skittish, terrified of every movement Tom and Maddie made, but at least he had started trusting the food in the fridge.
Knuckles hadn't. Sonic wasn't entirely sure where he slept or ate, but it wasn't at the house. He stopped by every once in a while, but that was it. When they set him out a plate, he didn't touch it.
Standing in the doorway, Sonic and Tails watch the echidna watch his food.
"Does he think it's gonna get him?" Sonic jokes, voice soft.
"No," Tails responds, genuinely. "I— I think he's guarding it? Look at how he's sitting."
Sonic screws up his face and considers. Sure enough... watchful eyes, tight shoulders, fidgeting hands. He keeps glancing around like he's waiting for something.
("Oh. Is this for me?")
Tails had had trouble with getting his own food at first, too. Scared he would be punished for taking some, because he wasn't used to it being for him.
Sonic lets out a little puff of breath. "Okay. Yeah. That's a problem." He puts on his best wasn't-just-eavesdropping face and trots into the kitchen, popping into a chair like he owns the place.
"Are you not hungry?" Sonic asks, smiling easily.
Knuckles glances down at the plate and then up at him suspiciously. "I am," he responds carefully.
Oh man. With how certainly the echidna carried himself, Sonic had almost forgotten that he for sure had issues too. "That's for you, y'know."
"It is?"
"That's why Mom gave it to you," Sonic says. He tries to look casual and not as exasperated-slash-concerned as he is.
"Oh." Knuckles inspects the plate for a long moment; Sonic suspects it's less about the plate and more about avoiding eye contact.
Trying to play it lightly, leaning on the table, Sonic asks, "Does that happen a lot? People putting plates in front of you and telling you not to eat it?"
"Yes." Knuckles does not play it lightly, because apparently that's not a setting Knuckles has. Sonic winces. "I... have done nothing to earn this."
Sonic scrunches his face. "You don't have to earn food here."
The echidna scoffs. He sniffs at the food like he trusts it less now that he knows it's for him. Hm. Not great. He cautiously picks up a piece of lettuce like he's worried it'll bite him back.
Sonic chews on his lip. "Do you, uh... want... me to taste it?" He puts back on his nonchalant face and leans on the table. "Y'know, quality control."
"No," Knuckles gruffly retorts, taking a bite, "if there is poison meant for me, it will certainly kill you."
"Okay, well, Mom's not gonna poison you." Sonic... sort of understands, though? Crazy Carl had trapped food for him once and he hadn't trusted anything for, like, weeks.
Knuckles... seemed like the kind of guy who would hold a grudge against all food forever if something like that happened. Well. At least he was eating. They could work on the comfort part bit by bit.
"I can still test it, if you want," Sonic hums, definitely not because he's a little hungry.
"You're certain it isn't tampered with," Knuckles asks, sort of, voice flat but very obviously asking for reassurance.
"One hundred percent!" Sonic makes a show of looking chill as he makes himself a plate. He turns away from the echidna for just a moment, and when he turns back, the plate is empty.
The hedgehog lets one (1) incredulous laugh escape him. "Jeez! Trying to give me a run for my money as fastest thing in the world, huh?"
Still chewing, Knuckles looks up at him, almost... guilty, maybe? Like he hadn't super wanted Sonic to see. Hmmm. Maybe he was...embarassed? About eating in front of people?
"Impressive," the hedgehog hums, bouncing from heel to toe. He takes Knuckles' plate so he can turn away again without suspicion. "Just don't make yourself sick, dude."
"I was not trying to..." Knuckles stops, starts, starts again. "I— I was hungry."
Sonic scrunches up his face, musing over the dishes.
"Um, nobody's gonna take it away, if that's what you're worried about," Tails interjects— Sonic for sure does not startle at all, he had definitely remembered that Tails was there. "I was worried about that, too. But it's okay. You can eat what you want," the fox says slowly.
Sonic turns back around, glancing between his buddies. Knuckles still doesn't look convinced. Tails looks like he's a little bit worried Knuckles is gonna blow him up with his mind. To be fair, Sonic would be scared of that too, if Knuckles could blow people up with his mind.
The echidna stands. "You could not take it from me," he says, in a gravely serious voice that screams 'people have tried.' And then he's gone.
Sonic clicks his tongue. "Well. At least he ate?"