Unbreakable Bond - Blog Posts

So even knowing the saddest motive behind Tails' revulsion for coats (you're so fucking evil) i was rereading Where Water Wears Away the Stone and HELL you're so evil. Thank you.

Something Borrowed, Something Kept

A/N: I'm still working on finishing my next chapter of "When the World Breaks," so for now, have a little drabble I wrote I while back as a little something for Tails's birthday <3 Happy Birthday, Tails! This takes place between Chemical Plant Zone and Aquatic Ruin Zone in Sonic 2.

Sonic finally found a clothing closet in the city near the chemical plant. While he’d managed to coax Tails into the now defunct factory thanks to the lack of organic persons, the city had taken a level of patience Sonic wasn’t yet equipped with. So far food seemed to motivate the kid, though Sonic had to admit he had certain feelings about convincing him to do things by promising extra snacks. Having to “be good” to justify being fed wasn’t something he was about. As long as he had the means of getting them both some food, he was going to make sure Tails had enough to eat and he didn’t want him to ever doubt that.

Tails stuck close as Sonic rummaged through the children’s selection of clothes. It was a free service, run exclusively by volunteers, so it wasn’t always as quick and easy to find things Sonic was in the market for. This clothing closet at least tried to organize the mobian clothes by animal, but it was still tedious picking through the different sizes. Sonic grabbed himself a newer pair of sneakers with decent treads first. He didn’t need a new coat this winter, he’d purposefully picked one he could grow into last year and it was just starting to fit properly, if still a little long in the torso. 

Then he could focus on finding stuff for his little tagalong. He took the shoe that seemed to fit Tails’s foot better—one was clearly too small, and it was good he used his tails to keep up because Sonic could only imagine the blisters he’d get if he had to run with it—and used it as a reference to figure out what his size was. Tails padded after him in his socks, occasionally ducking under clothes racks. The first time he did it, Sonic immediately parted the garments to arch a brow at him. Tails squeaked and scampered out, immediately diving into the center of another rack. Sonic stared after him for a beat, then it clicked.

He wanted to play.

After that, he’d stroll past the racks, whistling to himself and casually scanning the donation center in search of Tails. His twin fox tails were always poking out, so he never truly lost sight of him, and they wagged happily every time Sonic got closer. He’d lull him into a false sense of security, let him think he’d escaped detection, then he’d zip back and throw open the clothes like a curtain, his devious grin making the little guy gasp with delight before scurrying off again.

It made the shopping take longer than it needed to, but it was kinda fun seeing Tails act like an actual kid. 

Of course, acting like an actual kid also meant trying on the clothes was an actual nightmare. The shoes weren’t so bad, Tails wasn’t bad at trying shoes on. He found and got immediately attached to a pair of red and white sneakers that didn’t look so different from the pair Sonic picked out. They were a little big for him, but that’d be fine. He could grow into them, like the borrowed gloves Sonic was letting him wear. They’d just find a way to secure them around his ankles so they wouldn’t fall off.

Since picking out shoes had been a snap, Sonic assumed Tails would be just as agreeable when it came to his coat. 

That had been a mistake.

Whenever Tails lashed out, it was clear that it came from a place of self-preservation and Sonic could understand that. But he was doing everything right here. He wasn’t moving too fast, he didn’t grab him, he didn’t get too close. They’d just been having a fun time playing around in the clothing racks until they got a dirty look from one of the volunteers and had to rein in it.

The second Sonic held out a coat to Tails though, he might as well have asked the kid to cut off a tail. 

He balked; staring at the article of clothing with the same amount of disdain he'd shown Robotnik when they chased him out of the chemical plant. He backed away and shook his head when Sonic motioned for him to take it. Sonic frowned and Tails frowned right back.

Though he was fluffier than Sonic, his fur was still really patchy from months of poor nutrition and grooming. His full winter coat hadn't come in yet even though it was December, still too scraggly to offer much protection. Sonic really didn't want to have to deal with a sick fox kit as a result. One, he didn't know the first thing about caring for one, and two, it sounded like the most uncool thing ever. It definitely wasn't something he'd signed up for, and it was bound to happen if Tails got too cold. Sonic had experienced his fair share of sick days when he’d first started traveling on his own thanks to fluctuations in temperature he’d never been exposed to before. He couldn’t think of a lamer way to waste time.

Sonic pointed at the coat and tapped his foot impatiently. Tails turned his nose up at it. With a tch, Sonic rolled his eyes, then snatched Tails by the wrist. A set of sharp, baby fox teeth sank into his hand, but he ignored the pain as he wrestled one of Tails's arms through the coat. With a gasp, Tails released him to stare in horror at the fabric covering his arm. Sonic took the opportunity to slip his other arm through, then took hold of the lapels so he could zip it up. 

There. Sonic stood back, hands on his hips as he looked it over in triumph. It was baggy around the shoulders, but it would give him room to grow into it. It was red, too, like his sneakers. Sonic thought he'd appreciate that since he seemed to like the shoes so much.

But tears collected in Tails's eyes, all the mutinous anger gone in the face of what Sonic could only describe as complete and utter misery. The tears tracked down his cheeks slowly, ears plastered to his head as he fidgeted and tugged at the coat like it was constricting him, both tails limp and dragging on the ground. 

Aw, jeez. Sonic winced, quills bristling as he recoiled at the sight of his tears. It was only a matter of time, really, he supposed. Little kids cried for any number of reasons. Of course he hadn't been so lucky as to find and kinda befriend the only one that didn't.

Tails continued to tug at the coat, his breathing shaky as his chest rattled with each inhale. But he wasn't trying to make a scene. Wasn't throwing a fit. He was just…

Uncomfortable.

Sonic's ears and tail drooped. Of course Tails wouldn't be used to wearing clothes. The sensation of something as heavy as a winter coat was probably pretty weird. And he didn't like being trapped or confined, which Sonic could absolutely sympathize with. Coats could feel a little restrictive—all clothes did really, and Sonic preferred being as aerodynamic as possible for speed's sake. The drag of clothes on the wind was a real drag.

So it wasn't like he didn't get it. If he didn't have to wear a coat himself, he wouldn't. But there was snow on the ground and it was the practical thing to do if they were going to keep traveling in search of the Chaos Emeralds and Robotnik’s bases for the next few weeks. 

Besides, how many times had Sonic been forced to do something for his own good even if he'd hated it? How often had he listened to other kids in the orphanage cry as their wants were ignored in favor of their needs? Though if the adults around them had just listened…

Sonic rubbed a fist over his chest, averting his gaze guiltily as the soft sniffles filled the silence between them. He couldn't do it. Okay, kid, I hear ya loud and clear. With a sigh, Sonic stepped back into Tails's space and unzipped the coat. 

Tails sniffed again, teary eyes watching his hands as he eased the coat open and off his shoulders. Once he was free of it, he blinked up at Sonic. He hung it back up on the hanger and tucked it out of sight, then dusted his hands of it like it was a job well-done.

Tails shuffled his feet and used the back of his borrowed glove to wipe at his nose. Well, maybe not so much borrowed now. Kid could keep it. A genuine smile still curved his muzzle as he offered Tails a thumbs up. We good?

After a beat of consideration, Tails nodded and returned the gesture with his own thumbs up. Sonic heaved a huge sigh of relief, making a show of wiping imaginary sweat from his brow. It might’ve been a bit over-the-top, but it got a giggle out of Tails and that was the goal. With a wink, Sonic picked up their new shoes and led the way out of the clothing closet.

They could deal with winter clothes another day. For now, Sonic was more than ready for some piping hot chili dogs to end the day on a high note. And he needed to stock up on some more of those free mints.

—

Don’t say I told you so. Don’t say I told you so. Don’t say I told you so.

Tails sneezed.

Sonic sighed and stopped running, kicking up a light dusting of snow as he did. He hadn’t been going that fast, snow had a habit of slowing him down, but he still had to wait a minute for Tails to catch up. He shoved his paws in his coat pockets and tapped his foot in the fresh powder as he looked back over his shoulder. Tails trotted up to him, little body shivering too much to properly spin his tails to keep up.

But he was smiling. Sniffling from the cold and rubbing his arms with his gloved paws, ankle deep in the snow with his new shoes and thick socks. Complaining looked to be the farthest thing from the little guy’s mind.

Sonic exhaled loudly and shook his head, breath clouding in front of him. Tails perked up, both tails giving jerky little wags as he opened his own mouth as wide as he could and made his own puff of air. Sonic grinned, then crouched down and beckoned Tails closer with his finger. He came, head tilted curiously. Holding open both of his hands, Sonic nodded for Tails to place his paws between them.

Hesitation crept into his eyes, though it wasn’t necessarily mistrust that he looked at him with. He was still curious, wondering just what Sonic was trying to do, so he offered his paws to him and watched as he sandwiched them between his own. Leaving a sliver of an opening between his thumbs, Sonic leaned in and blew warm air over his paws, then rubbed firmly to keep his circulation pumping. Twin tails perked straight up, his fur puffing up a bit in surprise and Sonic had to bite back a laugh. Tails relaxed though when Sonic blew again, a happy hum escaping him as he soaked up the warmth.

Sonic sat back and gave him a thumbs up. Okay?

Tails gave him a thumbs up back. Okay!

Then he sneezed again.

Sonic hung his head, then glanced up at the clouds as snow continued to drift down gently. It was gonna stick around for a while, it seemed. Tails rubbed at his nose with the back of his glove, then cupped his paws in front of his muzzle and breathed over them just like Sonic had. His gaze snapped up when he heard the pull of a zipper, eyes wide as Sonic shrugged off his jacket. 

He draped it over Tails’s shoulders before he could skitter away, guiding his arms through the too-long sleeves. The dark green jacket nearly swallowed the little fox. Sonic snickered as he zipped up the jacket to Tails’s chin, then sat back and looked him over. Tails stared at the baggy sleeves, his paws hidden inside them. With a tch, Sonic rolled up the cuffs to free his hands. 

Better. There were two slits in the back for his quills that would let in a draft, but it was at least something to keep him warm. Bonus was that this jacket didn’t seem to upset him like the one he’d tried on at the clothing closet had. 

“You good?” Sonic signed to him properly, one of the most basic ones they’d learned so far.

Tails looked over his shoulder at the two gaps in the back, mouth parted in a stunned little “o.” Right, the breeze probably felt a little funny. Sonic tapped his chin as he considered ways to cinch the slits shut. Tape maybe? The tape they’d used for his gloves and socks seemed to be holding as temporary measures.

Sonic’s quills rose fast when the happiest yip filled the air. He blinked at Tails as he slid each tail into the holes of the jacket, the perfect size for them to fit. They wagged quickly, free to wiggle about as they pleased. Tails beamed at the sight of them, then shone that bright smile on Sonic.

“It’s good!” he signed enthusiastically. “Thank you!”

Sonic smiled back, a laugh tickling the back of his throat as he reached out to ruffle Tails’s fur atop his head. You’re welcome, the gesture was meant to say. Along with, you sure are something else, kid.

So he’d be fine with an extra big coat with room for his tails to stick out. Good to know.

Though Sonic had a feeling this coat was about to become yet another something borrowed that wound up something kept. Ah, well. In the grand scheme of things, he found he was pretty okay with that.

Tails wasn't even part of the resistance when Sonic showed up, which means Tails is eventually gonna get that found family, except the first person who's ever shown him kindness won't be a part of that when he has to go

IM SICK, IM CRYING, SCREAMING AND THROWING UP

the thing is that like,,, ok bear with me

a Tails without a Sonic can still be Tails. hes not automatically gonna be fucked without a Sonic (though it can happen). anyone couldve shown him that kindness he needed when he was younger and he wouldve followed them with just as much loyalty

a Sonic without a Tails tho? oh boy. that guy is FUCKED right off the bat. you cant replace his Tails with anyone else because hes gonna turn out to be a prick either way

we KNOW this because he met Amy before he met Tails, and he wasnt exactly friends with her. they were friendly, but he just saw her as just another person to save

a Sonic having a Tails is a Sonic that has grown and become friendlier, more personable, and stronger in-turn

theres a reason why the cosmic truth is that SONIC needs Tails, not the other way around

Based on new canon lore that Tails has a curfew and only on new years he’s allowed to stay up because Sonic being inadequate teen parent/bro/fence learned the hard way of a growing fox need for healthy sleep schedule

i think he does this sometimes

FUNNY: baby tails canonically calling sonic his mom

HEARTBREAKING: his reasoning -- "a mother is someone who cares about you, therefore sonic is my mother" -- implies that either he didn't have a mother, or she was neglectful/abusive enough that tails concluded she doesn't meet the requirements of what a "mother" is supposed to be. in that case its implied that NO one has cared for him before sonic

FUNNY AGAIN: despite tails calling sonic "mother" to his FACE, sonic didn't refute it whatsoever. boymom the hedgehog

HEARTBREAKING AGAIN: implying that sonic doesn't seem to know what a mother is either

Don't let blue hedgehogs run on the ice

Even if his big brother instincts tell him to, Sonic can’t make the “oh I actually found you in a dumpster as a baby” joke to Tails cause that isn’t that far from how they met.

No one knows where Sonic lives.

Even in his so called world renowed hero status, there’s way too little that the general public knows about Sonic The Hedgehog, sure, they know what his favorite food is, they know the names of his friends, and they know when his birthday is, but they don’t know where is he from, how is he so fast, or what is his reason to fight.

They know about most of the times he has saved the world, but they don’t know why his shoes don’t get burned by his speed, they know he can turn into a god-like glowy golden being, but they don’t know how exactly the magical jewels that do that work, they know he’s unstoppable, but they don’t know why.

Most people don’t care that much about that kind of information, even if he’s a hero, that’s his own business, even heroes need privacy; but then there’s the curiosity, the enigma, the mystery, most of those questions will be left without a solid answer, but there’s a few that should have definitive one.

Where does someone who can run around the whole globe in a matter of hours live? There’s a lot of theories.

Sonic has enough fame to have several fan clubs all around the world, and between all those fan clubs there’s been a lingering interest in the enigma of where does sonic live, between all the other questions this one is the one that gets the most possible answers, considering factors like his speed, his well known crave for adventure, his love for nature, all of it could make the difference between the right answer and the wrong answer.

At certain point, the curiosity reaches to more general public apart from the fanatism prone, and when in opportunity to talk to him, a lot of people start asking him the same question: “where do you live?” the answers all equal and all different at the same time “right here in the same world as you” “it varies from time to time” “I don’t think you could visit me”

The vagueness, the confusing contradictions, the evasion of the subject; he’s doing this on purpose. They might not know a lot about the blue speedster, but now this sole data needs to be known.

They start asking Sonic’s acquaintances instead of the hedgehog himself, they know they’re not getting an answer out of him at this point, and if anyone could have one, his friends should know it. Turns out that they don’t know.

Most of his friends being more annoyed with the fact that not even they know where he lives than about the people sticking their noses to his friend’s business was a surprise to the masses, and underwhelming, backtracking, frustrating surprise.

There’s an anonymous user online who affirms that not even the hedgehog’s arch nemesis knows where Sonic lives. Reliable sources support the statement.

The waters of nonsense gossip calm down after some time, but the question still remains, left to be more of general curiosity than lingering mystery.

A random day in a random town, a news program happens to be live outside when the speedster passes by and stops to smell the flowers around the area, the reporters ask him for a small interview, he says they have till he finishes picking up enough flowers for a crown.

They ask the same question everyone has asked for quite some time, just a different word, “Sonic, where is your home?”

Apparently the accidental rephrasing change is what finally gets it, as the speedster just says “right now? should be at mystic ruins”

He runs off immediately, the reporters left speechless, the program still on air on TV’s and the web, and the world going wild.

They finally got a straight, solid, specific answer. “That can’t be true” “but it can” “it’s logical” “it’s not” “he must’ve been joking” “he sounded serious” and more and more discussions take place around that single interview, the fan clubs are theorizing again, the general public is now more curious, and the official news from all over the globe need to confirm this by themselves.

So they ask again.

A full week later, a different city in a different country, different news reporters don’t even bother to ask him for an interview, they just run to him the moment they see the blue blur pass by and ask him again “Sonic, where is your home?!” He yells his answer without stopping:

“Last time I checked was in Central City”.

“It’s a contradiction” “then he was joking before” “he might change where he lives weekly” “we need more proof” “that was way too specific again”.

A different continent, two days later, a group of kids manage to record him when he greets them from the other side of a mountain, they ask “Where is your home?!” He yells back “I’m not sure at the moment!”

The confusion only grows, now no one knows if he’s genuinely giving true answers or full ass lying, it would be logical for him to do either. The curiosity becomes a mystery again, and people are legitimately trying to track all the locations he has mentioned to find out what is this all about. Some people even try to track him down. They try.

A whole month later, there’s a celebration near sunset city, a commemoration of some sorts, there’s been a lot of battles in way too little time so people just try to think about the party rather than the motive for it. Sonic attends the celebration along some of his friends.

A local news channel manages to reach him at the chili dog stand where he is waiting for his food while talking to the two tailed fox everyone knows is his best friend. They don’t mean to interrupt, but these opportunities are limited.

They ask the same question, the same word change that they know works: “Sonic, where is your home?”

The blue blur hangs an arm around the kit’s shoulder in a half hug as he grins widely, he says loudly: “right now, it’s right here!”

This time his home was with him.

*reading your tags*

👀 Sonic back in time?????

Okay so, context! Back when I was writing "Chart a Course to Second Chances," I found chapter 2 really, *really* hard to get through, for multiple reasons. Biggest of all being that it was so hard leaving Tails alone on Cocoa Island when he was just a baby! So to help cope with that chapter while I was writing it (over a year ago now, lol, omg) I started writing an AU of my own fic xD Where Sonic came across baby Tails during that time. It wasn't really meant to be anything on it's own. As the Picket Fence timeline started expanding though, I started toying with incorporating that scene as the C or D plot to my post-Frontiers fic! I still haven't decided on that because I'm still in such early stages of planning for that fic. It does reference "Chart a Course" quite a bit, like an extended scene, and references a few other Picket Fence specific things in passing. But since multiple people have expressed interest in it lately, I figured I can share what I've got as it's own standalone thing. So here is an older, modern Sonic coming across a baby Tails!

Sonic Back in Time Shenanigans WIP #1

They appeared in the middle of a downpour. Sonic frowned and covered his quills with his hands as he glanced up at the sky like it had betrayed him, while Silver tried using the wrist communicator Tails had adapted for him to pinpoint their location—both in time and space.

"Looks like we're on an island," Silver pointed out. "It's called… Cocoa Island."

Sonic peeked over his shoulder at the readings. "Hey, I'm alive in this time."

"Yeah. You'd be about… Nine?" Silver guessed.

Sonic glanced around at the thick cover of pine trees and breathed in the cool, misty air; this environment very different from what nine-year-old him had ever experienced. "How big's the island?" Sonic asked. "Think it's worth splitting up?"

"We could cover more ground that way," Silver hummed. "I don't know how time sensitive this event is."

"Then I guess there's no time to lose! You take the high road, I'll take the low!" Sonic flashed him a grin and sped off through the forest while Silver headed up towards the mountains.

Running through the rain was never his preference. The low visibility was bad enough when he wasn't keeping an active eye out for anything that looked out of place. Plus the drag of water-logged quills was never pleasant to run with. His sneakers lost traction in the mud and he nearly slid into several of the densely packed trees.

This definitely wasn't an island he'd ever ventured to before. There weren't any open stretches of land to run through freely. Not that he minded the obstacles, but they were a bit cumbersome in this kind of weather.

So distracted by watching the trees and searching, he didn't see the coat on the ground until his feet were tangled up in it. With a yelp, he face-planted into the grass with a groan. He pushed himself up and shook off the drenched fabric before picking it up to examine it.

It was a child's coat. A toddler's coat.

Sonic looked around. There was a toy airplane sitting innocently atop a tree stump. He picked that up, too. 

"Is anyone there?" he called out. "Hello?" He didn't hear anything except the steady drizzle of rain off the branches overhead. "Hey, if you're out there, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt ya."

Still no answer. Sonic stood up and draped the coat over his arm as he scanned his surroundings, then noticed the nearly washed out tracks in the mud leading deeper into the forest. A child's paw and shoeprints. Sonic followed them, frowning as they shifted the farther he went. They lost their definition until it looked like whoever made the tracks had ended up dragging their body through the mud.

They could've been hurt. Sonic zipped forward until he found a cabin. It was dark, clearly abandoned from the state of the overgrowth taking over the wood, but the front door was swinging open from the wind, letting the rain inside. The muddy trail led right over the threshold.

Sonic stepped inside and shook off his quills, peering into the darkness. The front room was empty. Mud and water stained the old, creaky floorboards, leading him into the next room over. Sonic pushed the door open, finding three empty beds, some storage cabinets, and a pile of blankets on the ground.

A pile of blankets and…

And a baby fox tail.

The toy plane clattered against the hardwood floor and the coat fell with a heavy, wet smack. Sonic dashed over and dropped to his knees next to the bundle as he peeled away the layers of dusty blankets. A baby fox kit trembled as the warmth was taken from him, coughing as the freshly disturbed dust irritated an already raspy throat. Each breath was labored; painful gasps for air that echoed in the abandoned cabin. So soft, but as powerful as gunshots straight to Sonic's heart.

Because the fox kit was clinging to something, and Sonic had hoped he wouldn't be from the moment he first caught sight of his tail. Sonic's jaw clenched. The kit was hugging a second tail.

Tails. How was Tails here? This wasn't West Side Island. What happened?

Another weak cough shook Tails's body. Sonic removed his wet glove and held the back of his hand to Tails's forehead, swearing at how warm he was despite his shivering. Fever. And he was soaked. The blankets were useless as he laid in a damp, muddy nest that would do nothing to warm him up.

Tails nuzzled against his hand. Sonic's gaze was drawn back to his face, eyes still closed as he instinctively sought comfort from his touch. Sonic turned his wrist and stroked the top of his head, brushing aside his wet bangs. A raspy whine rattled in his chest and Sonic's heart broke.

"It's okay, little buddy, I'm right here," he assured him, even if this version of him hadn't met him yet. "You're gonna be okay. Hang on."

Sonic ran into the kitchen and bathroom in search of towels or any sort of linen that wasn't soaked through. He found a couple old hand towels and decided they would have to do. He also found a cup and filled it with water from the sink. 

In the bathroom he looked for anything that might be a first aid kit. There was a medicine cabinet with a thermometer, along with, what was very likely, an expired bottle of ibuprofen tablets. He grabbed both and brought all of it into the bedroom and sat cross-legged on the floor, carefully detangling Tails from his makeshift nest.

He was so light.

Sonic's hands shook as he carefully toweled him off, removing the tiny baby boots from his feet so he could dry them, too. He knew Tails had been light when he'd found him, knew he'd been starving and malnourished, but he hadn't known for how long. This Tails was significantly younger than the four-year-old he'd met on West Side Island, which he had to be if the Sonic of this time was only nine. Barely older than two, if that.

He dried off each of his paws, hating how small they were compared to what he knew and the way his little fingers subconsciously grasped at his own. The Tails he'd met didn't like being touched without warning first, expected every touch to hurt and flinched at sudden movements, but this one in his arms was just as starved for contact as he was for food. He grabbed at and wriggled closer to a complete stranger, whining with frustration as he got tangled in the towel instead. 

Sonic hushed him as he finished drying him off, wrapping him in a fresh towel before quickly drying himself off, too. It wouldn't do any good to get Tails all wet again from his quills dripping onto him. Sonic then shook out the blankets from the pile on the ground, quickly draping the damp ones around the room before using the drier ones to reform a nest. Sonic settled into it and cradled Tails against his chest as he pulled the blankets around them.

He was still shaking so badly, but his face was so hot where it pressed into him. Sonic held him tighter, trying to transfer his own warmth into his sick baby brother, wracked with feverish chills. When Tails got sick, he always vacillated between wanting space and being smothered with comfort. Even at nine, where he claimed to be too mature for such childish things as cuddles, when he was sick enough, he'd eventually shuffle out of his room bundled up in as many blankets as he could find and curl up on the couch with his head in Sonic's lap while his big brother read or played a video game to entertain him.

Sonic never gave it much thought before, but he wondered if that dichotomy to Tails was because he'd had to deal with being sick on his own for so long. It was his first instinct to power through it alone before seeking the comfort he craved. Clearly, for at least the first few years of his life, he was used to the comfort not being there.

Sonic curled around him, insulating him with warmth while the rain pattered against the roof and windows. "You're one tough kid, you know that, bud?" he murmured as the baby whimpered sleepily. "I know, I know… sucks to be sick, but you're handling it like a champ. You always do."

Tails coughed wetly and Sonic patted his back to try and help clear his airways. He glanced at the label for the expired medicine, then grabbed the thermometer. He'd see how high his fever was, then decide whether or not it was worth an attempt to use medicine to bring down his temperature.

"C'mon, bud, open up." 

He tapped the end of the glass thermometer against his muzzle, bleary blue eyes blinking up at him. Sonic faked a yawn, biting back a chuckle when the baby yawned for real. He settled the thermometer under his tongue and held it there. While they waited, Tails just stared up at him. Even as feverish and sleepy as he was, his busy little brain was hard at work trying to figure out who the stranger holding him was while his body shivered, paws kneading into his fur. Just like when they'd been stuck in a blizzard in Holoska, when Sonic's werehog form shielded his hypothermic brother from the cold. 

He might not have recognized him, but he knew he was safe.

"You're doing great, little guy," he told the toddler version of the kid he'd practically raised, smile soft and warm. "Keep it up. We're almost done."

Tails yawned again when Sonic removed the thermometer, squinting at it in the dark to try and read it. At least 104. Tails's normal temperature was somewhere around 100 degrees at rest, so this definitely wasn't a good sign. Sonic swore, rocking Tails a little more quickly as his knees bounced impatiently. It made him cough again, so Sonic gave him the cup of water to help soothe his throat. Tails gulped it down greedily, draining the entire cup in seconds. When he finished, Sonic fought to stay still this time while the baby nuzzled into his chest. 

"Sorry, bud." Sonic scratched behind his ears and he purred from the attention.

Sonic's fingers nearly faltered.

It was so easy…

Normally it took a lot to get Tails to actually purr with contentment. He'd get flustered and embarrassed whenever it happened where Sonic could hear, so it never lasted very long. Sometimes he'd do it to try and cheer Sonic up, but to openly purr because he was unashamedly happy…

Once the baby started, he didn't stop. 

He rubbed his face into Sonic's fur, limp tails wagging in jerky movements, like they didn't know how, one much weaker than the other. It would've been funny in another life. But in this one, Sonic stroked along his back, heart tightening as he felt each nodule of his spine beneath his damp fur. Tails had been too thin when they'd first met; he remembered that well. But if Silver was right… if Sonic was nine in this time and Tails was only two…

It would be two years before they'd meet.

Two years…

"Tried," a tiny voice croaked out.

"Huh?" Sonic blinked down at the snuggly baby. "You tired, big guy?"

"Tried. T'be good 'n wait," Tails mumbled. "I tried…"

Sonic looked out the window at the storm still raging, wind howling through the trees. "Well, you did the right thing, finding a dry place to wait out this rain. Otherwise you might've gotten sicker," Sonic told him. "You did a good job. Such a good job, little bro."

"Good?" Tails tilted his head up, half-lidded eyes trying so hard to focus on him. "M'good?"

"Yeah, you're good," Sonic chuckled softly. "The best."

"An' can I come home now?" Tails asked, voice cracking as it started to rise—just like it always did when he panicked. "Please? I did good, I wanna go home—"

His chest rattled with a harsh coughing fit. Sonic hurried to prop him up in an attempt to clear his airways. He shushed him again as he rubbed his back, his mind speeding through all the context clues he'd been given. The coat and the toy plane left in the woods. The fresh footprints leading to this cabin, which apparently wasn't Tails's home if he was asking to go home…

Because he'd been good.

Because he thought he couldn't go home until he was good.

Every time Sonic told Tails to wait somewhere when they were younger… every time Tails acted like he was never going to come back…

He'd suspected then, of course, but now?

Tails was a baby. A genius baby, but a baby all the same. How could he have possibly gotten it into his head that he'd be left alone somewhere unless he was good if someone hadn't put it there first?

Tails sniffled and coughed again, nuzzling against Sonic's shoulder. "Wanna go home…"

"Soon, bud," Sonic whispered to him, the soft weight of him against his chest the only thing keeping the fury from building in his heart. "You'll be home soon, I promise. And you'll be warm and fed and looked after whenever you're feeling sick… and you'll be loved. You hear me? You'll be loved so much, you won't be able to stand it." Sonic shook his head, thinking back to the little brother he knew, who'd shrug away from his touch with an eye roll or an embarrassed laugh, only to come running back for a hug or words of reassurance when Sonic least expected it. "So hold onto that for me, okay? Hold on 'til I come get you."

Tails's forehead was still burning up as he pressed his own brow to it, squeezing his eyes shut as he pretended like this kid wasn't breaking his heart apart with the magnitude of his rumbly little purrs quaking in his chest.

The little guy fell asleep not long after that, wheezy breaths tickling his fur as Sonic sat with him on the floor of the dusty old cabin. Though it had been a while—and his legs were itching to run as his mind raced and his body insisted that it was trapped—he settled into the old habit of keeping watch over his little brother as easily as breaking in a pair of running shoes. A little painful at first, sure, a little pinchy in the heel or the toes, but soon enough he'd be one with the wind and didn't have to second guess a single step.

As he carefully shifted Tails to a more comfortable sleeping position, Sonic caught a glimpse of his wrist communicator. He fought back a wince. Whoops. Silver.

Trying to keep as quiet as he could, he called his friend. "Any news?" Silver asked, not needing to wonder who was calling him.

"Ah… about that…" Sonic flicked his gaze down at the sleeping fox kit cradled in his arm. "Kinda got distracted."

"Sonic," Silver sighed.

"I know, I know. My bad. But uh… I've got my hands full at the moment. Might be a minute before I can get back to helping you find… whatever it is we came here looking for."

"I don't really know myself. All I know is that it had the potential to affect your present, as well as my future," Silver sighed. "I'll keep looking. There's still a lot of ground to cover in these mountains, and I have this sense…"

"Hm?"

"Just this sense that maybe a Chaos Emerald is here."

Sonic glanced down at Tails again. "You don't say."

"Yeah. Maybe it's the reason we're here. You think we're supposed to retrieve it?"

"I don't think so."

"Oh yeah? What makes you so sure?" Silver pressed.

"Just a hunch." Sonic's muzzle couldn't help curving in a fond smile as Tails nuzzled his cheek against his chest, purrs growing louder with a happy sigh. "Just keep me in the loop if anything else stands out to you and I'll catch up with you later. Stay dry."

"You too."

The call cut out and Sonic was left with only the sound of the rain on the roof and Tails's croaky breathing for company. "So that how you made it to West Side? Did the Chaos Emerald lead you there, too, little buddy?" Shaking his head with a sigh, he felt his forehead again while he brushed his bangs out of the way. "Could've tried getting our paths to cross a heck of a lot sooner, but guess I can't be too mad at 'em… no point in dwelling on what coulda been, huh?"

But the words he normally lived by tasted bitter in his mouth. About half as helpful as expired medicine.

"But you've got me now," Sonic assured him. "For however long that might be, you don't gotta worry about a thing. I'll take it from here, Tails."

I'm a couple hours late for Wholesome Wednesday but no one's ever going to complain about Sonic and Tails brother content so

Remember that scene in IDW when Belle was hypnotized while she was staying over with Sonic and Tails and she went to hit Tails and then Sonic was immediately --

No one's touching his little bro if he has anything to say about it :))

I'm aware this is random timing but I've wanted to analyze this scene ever since I saw it and I was rewatching the Frontiers cutscenes so I decided "why not now" lol

This scene right here.

First of all, I'd like to say that Sonic & Tails's interactions throughout this entire game are IMMACULATE. And while I've seen some people complain that Tails "wasn't concerned enough" at the fact that Sonic was so clearly sick, this scene begs to differ.

It also shows, in both a good way and a sad way, how well Tails knows his big brother.

The entire time before, Sonic's been (for the mostpart) going around with a front. Pretending he's fine and brushing aside everyone's worries about him to turn the focus instead on THEM and THEIR problems, not his. ESPECIALLY with Tails. And this little fox knows probably better than anyone that Sonic doesn't like it when people fuss over him. So he's been playing along. Doing his part, doing the best he could in his digitized state, staying busy and all the jazz.

And sure, a couple times before this, Sonic was acting more tired than usual around Tails, but Tails didn't point it out. And he still doesn't point it out here, but his expression and body language say it all.

Now the corruption's getting worse, and Tails is just about done pretending along with Sonic that everything's fine. This time, unlike the last two times when Sonic had defeated a Titan when Super Sonic had flown down to find Amy and Knuckles, Tails is the one who runs to find him afterward.

He's clearly very worried, especially when Sonic barely acknowledges his presence and is really just doing his best not to keel over at this point. Tails reaches out in a vain attempt to touch him — whether to comfort him or help him up, I'm not sure — but still cannot touch him at all for obvious reasons. He pulls back and just watches him intently with this deeply sad, almost regretful look on his face. The End starts talking again and Sonic lifts his head a little to listen, while Tails just quietly shakes his head as he looks at him. As if he's saying, "Please don't do more, please just take a rest, I want you to be okay." 😢 Or it could just as easily be a sad sort of understanding, a resignation to what Sonic does, like, "I want you to rest, we both know you need it, but I know you, I know you'd sooner run yourself to death before you let us stay trapped any longer. And I can't do anything to stop you." 💔

And then, after having his fists clenched in obvious distress, Tails tries to reach out again, one more time. Almost unconsciously, as Sonic looks up to where the voice is coming from. Almost like he does want to stop him. He opens his mouth for a moment, too, like he wants to say something, but bites it back at the last second.

Then he pulls away again. His face is nothing but sadness and worry. Sonic tries making a quip at The End's new instructions, but he's still so clearly exhausted.

It's also interesting how Sonic won't look at Tails this whole scene, until Tails asks in that tiny, scared voice, "Sonic?" and he stands up, tells him to hang tight, reassure him they're almost done. Trying so hard to play the part of strong older brother even here, when Tails can so easily see how sick he is. 😔

Their dynamic will always be so fascinating and sweet to me. Even in these darker, more painful moments, the familial love they have for each other is beautiful. 💙💛💔

saving for when ao3 returns.

"If it helps, one of the many scenarios my brain likes to twist around is imagining Sonic's perspective of No Cracks In A Closed Loop (and I adore Tails getting to be a badass and pulling off the impossible, too- my brain just likes to spin on the angst sometimes)" - @manynerdthings

A/N: So I was inspired...

I think it's safe to say this helped a lot xD Thank you, manynerdthings!

This is a continuation of my fic "No Cracks in a Closed Loop"

No Cracks in a Closed Loop — Sonic's Side

"Sonic."

That single word—no, just the voice alone—was enough to cut through the adrenaline rush as pure chaos energy sang through his veins and ignited every nerve with its spark. In a flash of light and sound, Super Sonic punched a hole through the Starfall-titan-wanna-be by using his own body as a projectile. A cocky grin cut across his muzzle as it wobbled in place, setting its sights on him instead of the city it had been about to level; its laser cannons aimed directly at the fault line.

This fight wouldn't last twenty seconds. They'd already won.

"What's up, partner?" Sonic said into the comm as he shot skyward.

The streak of gold drew the mech's cannon higher, until it cleared the tips of skyscrapers and nearby mountaintops by the time it shot at him. The laser's heat didn't even singe his fur, firing at full power into the stratosphere instead of drilling deep into the crust of the planet. It zinged past the satellite Tails was communicating from, but Super Sonic's gaze didn't linger on it for more than half a second—already more than certain it was out of the laser's range. Speeding through the air, he whirled around towards the mech for his next move. He was going to cyloop Eggman's newest addition to his junk pile right off its feet. 

Swerving down in a sharp arc, Super Sonic avoided the next blast while he swung around to try and circle it. It's clawed hand swiped at him before he could complete his first circuit. He shot straight up before it could catch him, homing attacking it in the face instead.

The comm was still quiet. Tails must've swapped to their own channel. Super Sonic flew backwards, putting both the titan and the distant satellite in his line of sight. Whatever he had to say, he didn't want anyone else to hear it.

Super Sonic's brow furrowed as a barrage of bullets opened up on him. He weaved between the hundreds of projectiles glinting dangerously in the sunlight, but his chaos energy and speed worked in tandem, as fluidly as a dance, while he searched for another opening to try the cyloop again.

He could beat this thing without it, sure, but it was the fastest way to take it down.

"Tails? Still with me, bud?" Super or not, Sonic still spared a second to check in, static ringing in his ears as he burst through the center of the mech's chest plate for a shortcut.

"I'm here," Tails answered, but his voice sounded faint, like the feedback was drowning him out. "Sorry, I…" Super Sonic started his cyloop. "I just wanted to—" He was halfway around. "I'm sorry—"

Sonic closed the loop. A burst of chaos energy swelled up with a deafening boom. The air rippled with the force of it in great gusts of wind that rocked the trees and the grass of the nearby hills. Waves rose up in the bay, their white caps scraping the bottom of the golden bridge that marked the edge of the sea. The fake titan lifted into the air, sparks crackling off its metal casing as its system overloaded. Super Sonic didn't give it a second to recalibrate itself.

Faster than anyone could see, he smashed into it on all sides. A tiny mote of golden light against the towering behemoth, but it struck every weak point, fried every circuit, as the chaos energy pressed in on it from the outside. Metal crunched and caved it on itself, contorting into a twisted configuration until it no longer resembled a machine.

A cheap imitation of the ancients' attempts to defend themselves, designed only to destroy instead of protect.

Super Sonic grabbed onto mech's arm—or maybe its leg, it was hard to tell at this point—as the cyloop's effect faded, catching it before it crushed Westopolis. He swung it around and around, gritting his teeth as he built up momentum and set his sights on the ocean out ahead of them. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Super Sonic let go.

The mech's remains were flung through the air, over the coastline and beyond the bridge that cut off the bay from the sea. It crashed into the water, the ocean spray shooting up into the air in a tower of mist once it hit the surface. The waves rolled aggressively towards the coastline, but ultimately broke apart in the bay before they could do too much damage. Some millionaires might have to replace a yacht or two, but that wasn't Sonic's problem.

As he dusted his hands off, he could finally acknowledge the warning bells Tails's last words to him had set off. "Hey, what was that, bud? I didn't catch—"

Super Sonic turned towards the satellite, addressing it like he would Tails, but it was gone. Instead a cloud of smoke filled the space where the satellite had been not ten seconds ago. Metal shards and fire rained upon the bay. Everything in pieces. Everything gone.

His comm was in chaos. Unintelligible voices shouted over one another in a cacophony of white noise that was already fighting a losing battle to the ringing in his ears. But he still noticed one voice was missing. He couldn't hear it.

He hadn't heard any of it.

Over the sonic boom of his cyloop and the screeching of metal as he demolished the titan, Sonic hadn't heard the satellite explode.

The satellite his little brother was on.

He'd been trying to tell him something.

He'd been trying to tell him something before a satellite exploded with him on it.

"I'm sorry."

Tails. 

Super Sonic shot off like a bullet, speeding towards the black cloud of smoke and smoldering debris like there was even a chance—

No. There had to be a chance—

"I just wanted to—I'm sorry—"

Why? What happened? What did you do, Tails?

He hadn't even properly seen him off before he left. Tails had been trying to hack into Eggman's satellite remotely while Sonic was out chasing after the faux titans. He told them all about his plan to board the satellite and everyone agreed it sounded like the right call, so long as he could do it quickly. They needed to disrupt the signal, after all, and Tails was their best shot.

That was what he'd said, wasn't it? "You're our best shot, Tails. I believe in you, partner."

Their best shot, but not the only one. Not if it meant this.

Nothing was worth this.

Sonic didn't need to breathe while super, but his lungs still burned twin holes in his chest as his own nervous system caught fire. Golden sparks flicked off his quills as he raced through the air. Fiery eyes frantically scanned each scrap of metal that fell, but they must've already been irritated from the smoke because they burned and blurred with the rest of the world around him—

"—onic, wait! Come back! Sonic!"

One voice.

Super Sonic stopped. He stopped so fast and so suddenly, it felt like his own soul completely missed the memo. Like everything inside him continued to hightails it towards where Tails had been without him, leaving him empty. Hollow. Cold.

A vacuous space in the center of himself where there'd once been something. 

The chaos energy inside him didn't know what to do with that.

With so much… nothing.

Stunned, he could only float in place for a stupid second until he remembered he'd stopped for a reason. With a sharp turn, his stare locked onto a splash of orange amidst the blotchy colors of the rest of the world bleeding into one another. Like he was still moving too fast to see clearly. Like he couldn't catch up to himself.

"Sonic…" Tails's voice broke like it had on the comm, but it wasn't with pain guilt fear regret static.

Vision clearing, Sonic could see him now. At the edge of one of the hills overlooking Westopolis and the bay. Tails just rubbed at his nose with a sheepish sort of grin, like the explosion was a minor miscalculation. A hiccup. My bad, he could hear him saying, like he was standing in the middle of his workshop, covered in soot and singed fur, one hand on his hip and a fire extinguisher at his feet.

Like he was fine.

Like he hadn't been incinerated in the fiery inferno smoldering above them.

Tails lowered his hand, eyes shining as they looked up at him, reflecting the very sky Super Sonic was caught in as the satellite's remains fell all around him. He'd been on that satellite. Just seconds ago, Sonic had been so sure of it.

He'd been so sure he'd lost him…

Then Tails opened his arms to him and laughed.

All at once Sonic crashed back into himself, chest heaving with a sharp inhale as his heart lurched forward. 

Faster than a blink, Super Sonic barrelled into Tails and sent them toppling down the hillside. They smacked hard against the ground, but Sonic took the brunt of the fall even with the world spinning around them. His arms encircled Tails tightly, one hand protecting the back of his head while the other braced the small of his back as they tumbled and whooped like a pair of idiots. Pure joy radiated through him, burning brighter than the chaos energy coursing through his quills. It knocked the emeralds right out of him. The seven gems fell into the grass around them as the two mobians eventually rolled to a stop.

Sonic clutched Tails to him, shaking with breathless laughter as he felt his little brother hug him back just as tightly. "I'm here," Tails was saying, and it took a minute to realize he'd been repeating the words while Sonic's hands were trembling. "I'm here. It's okay, big bro. I'm here. I’m here."

"And you say I'm the one that's gonna give you a heart attack," Sonic wheezed, not bothering to give himself room to breathe if it meant letting go for even a second.

"Can't let you have all the fun." Tails smoothed his hands over Sonic's spines to try and settle him, his touch purposeful and grounding. "Deep breaths, big bro. You're gonna pass out."

"Nuh-uh," he argued, but filled his lungs with his next inhale anyway, then let all the air ease out of him.

"That's it. There ya go," Tails encouraged, but Sonic couldn't help his snort of indignation at being coddled and pushed away from him. 

Except Tails just tightened his grip; fingers curling in his fur like they'd be forced apart if he didn't. He hid his face in the crook of Sonic's neck, his breaths coming only a little too fast. But his hands were shaking, too, and his twin tails wound around them both as if they were enough to protect them from the next threat. 

Sonic didn't pull away. He just sat back, the eleven-year-old practically in his lap, and rested his hand atop Tails's head.

"Gave me a real scare there, pal," he said, voice low and gentle as he smoothed out his fur, picking at the grass and brambles they were both covered in.

"…Scared me, too."

Sonic's heart clenched, the open admission like a bludgeon to his protective instincts, even if his pride assured him Tails could handle it. After all, the proof had all but climbed into his lap. But now that he was looking at him—really looking at him—he could see his fur was mussed up from more than just a tumble at supersonic speed. A streak of blood stained his fur on his shoulder and there was a lump near the center of his back that filled Sonic with an angry fire hot enough to burn through the atmosphere when he so much as brushed against it with his fingers. 

Tails didn't flinch when he grazed it, but his muscles gave an involuntary spasm that rippled beneath his fur and his hold on Sonic tightened. It was enough to quell the roiling rage to a simmer. Something he could stick a lid on without worrying it would boil over if left unchecked. It wasn't what Tails needed from him right now.

But Sonic still wanted some answers.

"What happened up there?" he asked. 

Tails shook his head. "Just a bit of a closer call than I thought it'd be. But I'll be okay. I am okay."

Sonic instinctively bristled, prepared to be shut out of whatever it was he'd gone through. "Tails—"

"I'll tell you someday," he promised, pressing his paw over Sonic's heart. "I mean it. But right now we've got a lot of Eggman's mess to clean up. There's still six other titans out there and I'm sure everyone else is worried."

Sonic sighed, as exasperated as he could manage when he was still just glad this kid was alive. "Gonna hold you to that," he threatened, ruffling his fur to muss it up on purpose. "You owe me. Nearly shocked the Chaos Emeralds right outta my system."

"Says Mr. Guy-Who-Loves-Adventure," Tails teased as he pushed himself up to stand. "You should be used to it by now."

Sonic snorted when he was offered a hand up, but he took it nonetheless. "When I go gray early, I'll know exactly who to blame."

"Don't worry. I'll help you dye your quills, old man," Tails snickered, but it broke off with a wince as a sharp twinge ran through his back.

Sonic was quick to lay a supportive hand at his hip to steady him. "Look who's talking. At this rate, you're gonna be right there with me setting the record for the world's youngest old timers."

Tails sent him a look, but accepted the help nonetheless as he leaned his weight against him. "Did you really have to knock us all the way down the hill like that?"

"Heh. Well, in my defense, wasn't exactly thinking straight." Sonic scratched at his nose, giving him a not-so-subtle onceover. "Didn't bang ya up too bad, did I?"

"Nah. I'll bounce back," Tails assured him, giving him a pat on the back.

"You always do," Sonic agreed warmly as they took a few steps in tandem so they could start collecting the Chaos Emeralds on their way back up the hill while Tails alerted everyone to their status on his comm and checked in on everyone else as well.

Sonic just listened, taking in the rise and fall of his voice, his steady assurances and sighs of relief to hear that the world hadn't fallen apart in his absence. Even if it very nearly did. As far as Sonic was concerned, anyway.

But he was okay now. That was what mattered. And whatever it was that happened on that satellite—whatever reason Tails had for calling him seconds before disaster—he would trust that his little brother would come to him when he was ready. Because he'd be there for him. No matter what.

Keeping his arm looped around Tails’s waist even after they made it back up the hill, Sonic looked up at the smoke still fading from the sky. He tightened his hold on him. It felt like another lifetime, like another him had first seen the explosion and feared the worst. Tails followed his gaze, quiet again with all the calls taken care of and winded from the uphill climb. Through his labored breaths, there was the slightest tremor that traveled from his chest to where he stood pressed against his brother.

"…Scared me, too."

 "Hey, whatever happened up there," Sonic broke the silence, his voice drawing Tails back down beside him. "Whatever you did, I'll bet it was seriously way past cool." He glanced over at him, waiting to catch his eye before giving him a wink.

All too easily, Tails grinned up at him, the shape of his smile the spitting image of his brother's. "Way past is definitely one way to put it."

———

Five years later…

———

"You've been quiet all day, partner. Something going on in that big brain of yours?"

Everyone else had split off for the night. Team Dark vanished sometime after lunch, after Rouge once again tricked Shadow into accompanying her, and Team Chaotix had an appointment for their next case. Amy took Cream back home to Vanilla while Tangle and Whisper left to help Jewel out with some Restoration business.

Which left just Sonic and Tails lounging on the couch; the former picking up where Vector had left off in the game he'd been playing, tapping away at the controller while the latter watched.

Tails hummed in acknowledgement, so Sonic let him have a minute of quiet to collect his thoughts. He picked at one of Whisper's cinnamon muffins, crumbs scattering across the coffee table, but he didn't eat any of it. He hadn't had much of an appetite since slinking out of his lab earlier that afternoon.

It probably had something to do with the quiet and the way he'd been kinda clingy. Sonic had planned on going for a run as soon as Tails retreated back to his lab to tinker with whatever gadgets he had tucked away back there, but he seemed pretty content to stay curled up on the couch beside him. Still, Sonic could adapt. He kicked his feet up onto the coffee table and slumped back into the cushions as he wandered aimlessly around in a game he couldn't remember owning.

"Do you remember that time you went up against Eggman's seven fake titans?"

Sonic let out a low whistle. "Boy, is that a blast from the past. What about it?" 

When Tails didn't immediately continue, Sonic pressed the pause button, then shifted against the cushion to sit up and face his not-so-little-anymore bro. The sixteen-year-old fox tore his gaze from the screen to watch him instead, eyes bright from television's glow. Looking at him like that, for a split second, Sonic could still see the insecure, little fox kit he used to be in the way his shoulders hunched up as if to make himself smaller. To take up less space in the world.

Sonic draped one arm along the back of the couch, leaving space for him to lean into if he wanted it. No matter how big he got, there'd always be space for him.

Tails scooted closer and rested his head against Sonic's arm. "I needed to disrupt the satellite signal powering the Chaos Emerald vaults, but Eggman locked me out of the remote connection so I had to access it directly—"

"On the actual satellite," Sonic interjected, fingers drumming against the back of the couch. "I remember."

Tails released a long exhale. "Well, he set a trap. A way to slow me down so I wouldn't be able to unlock the emeralds for you in time. The same code that would disrupt the satellite's signal would also cause it to self-destruct. Eggman banked on me having enough self-preservation that I wouldn't engage it without trying to disable that function first."

"But you set it off anyway."

"I set it off anyway," Tails confirmed with a decisive nod. "It was the outcome with the highest percentage of saving people. The fastest way to help you guys. I thought I could get out in time. I should've gotten out in time," his voice lowered, eyes distant as if he was reliving the moment right there on their couch. "But I couldn't. Not on my own. I needed… help."

Sonic tried to follow him there, even if he didn't much like to relive that day in his waking hours. "So you called me."

"Not… exactly." Tails sat up straighter so he could look him in the eye. "I knew you'd come get me if I asked, but then countless lives would've been lost if the titans had gone on unchecked, even if just for a couple of seconds. Sometimes that's all it takes…" Tails's fist clenched as he dropped his hardened gaze to his lap. "I made the call to initiate the self-destruct in order to save people. I couldn't take that back. I couldn't take you away from them. Not again."

A younger Sonic would've snapped at him—would've argued over the value of his life with him until he wasn't the only one blue in the face. But at twenty-three, Sonic had fought more of these battles than he cared to count and never once walked away a winner. So he sat back, held his tongue, and let Tails explain himself.

"I called you to say goodbye," his voice lowered to a whisper, "I wanted to give you that, at least.”

He'd had a feeling. It wasn't one he dwelled on freely, but sometimes the thought wandered in uninvited. Moreso during the first couple of months after the incident, when everything was still fresh and closer to their present.

Before Sonic could respond, Tails pressed forward. "But then an older version of myself traveled through time with two Chaos Emeralds to save me. He said it was the only way. Because at the time, only the two of us knew what transpired on the satellite. We created a temporal paradox, a loop without a proper origin, but as long as it was contained between the two versions of me, nothing could disrupt it. That's why I couldn't tell you before. I wasn't sure… I didn't know if the future version of myself had told you what happened and if that would open up possibilities in the time stream that would botch the encounter entirely." Tails lifted his gaze to seek out Sonic's again, and he could see the eleven-year-old sitting in front of him like it was that very same day. "I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you."

"Nothing to apologize for, bud. I get it. I wouldn't want to mess up the time stream for that particular moment either." Sonic shifted the arm draped along the couch so he could cup the back of Tails's head, idly ruffling the fur there. "But if you're telling me all this now…" he drawled, moving to scritch behind Tails's ear. "Charmy wasn't the one who swiped Shadow's Chaos Emerald earlier, was he?"

Tails shrugged, muzzle quirking up on one side. "When he showed up with it today, I just had this feeling that it was time to make my move…" Tails explained. "I've been feeling it for a couple weeks now, to be honest. I had all the equipment I'd had on me that day and I looked close enough to how I remembered. I knew I probably had to go back soon. Just needed everything to align so no one would interfere. Today seemed good…"

Sonic tilted his head as Tails trailed off, his eyes still a little distant. "Well, you made it back in one piece, didn't you? Mission accomplished."

"Yeah. Mission accomplished," he echoed, but whatever was on his mind continued to fester. "I thought I made a mistake."

"Hm?"

"There were only three seconds left," Tails whispered. "I thought I messed it all up. I thought I killed us both—"

"You—"

"I was so sure it would work because it already had, but there was still the possibility I could've gotten it wrong. I could've caused a split in our realities. Created two timelines where I ceased to exist, except in this one no one would've known what happened to me and two of the Chaos Emeralds would be lost to time. How would any of you have known where to look?" Tails rambled, pressing his hands over his face. "I estimated the time of day with a standard deviation of a couple of seconds, but those seconds could've been what killed us—"

"Hey, hey, hey," Sonic hushed, shifting to wrap both arms around his little brother as he slumped against him. "You didn't. You're here. You're right here with me, see?" He gave him a firm squeeze, smile tugging at his muzzle as Tails hugged him back tightly. "Atta boy."

"Stupid…" he mumbled into Sonic's shoulder. "Why does this still work so well?"

"Heh. What're big brothers for?" Sonic huffed out a chuckle. "Listen, you can't live a life of what-ifs, bud. It'll drive you outta your mind. I should know. And I know you know that, too." He felt Tails's nod against his cheek. "You did exactly what you set out to do. And heck, you used the Chaos Emeralds to travel through time! When did you learn how to do that, huh? Holding out on your big bro?"

Tails snorted, but it got him to relax enough to pull back. "Figured if I could use Chaos Control, time travel was just an added boost. Like adding a supercharger to the Tornado's engine."

"Tch. You figured." Sonic rolled his eyes, but the warmth in them was nothing but fond. "Give yourself a little more credit. You did something incredible today, Tails. You defied time and space to save yourself. And not only that, you gave yourself a future to look forward to. Because who wouldn't want to turn out to be like you?"

It was Tails's turn to roll his eyes, though it was his own chuckle that betrayed him. "That's what I told me."

"And wiser words were never spoken," Sonic assured him as he gave his knee a firm pat.

"I dunno. Could make a case for the consequences of rewriting timelines and creating unsustainable permutations of past and future events." Tails grinned.

"Now you’re just being smart," Sonic snorted.

"Well, I am a genius." Tails bumped his shoulder to Sonics. "But I also learned from the best. Even eleven-year-old me picked up on that."

"Well, he's a genius, too. He knows what's up." Sonic slung his arm around Tails’s shoulder, this time his turn to watch as his brother picked up the video game controller to continue where Sonic left off. 

He let him, taking his turn to be content as he watched Tails figure out the game faster than he did and go farther than Sonic could. They said nothing for a few minutes, Tails working out the rest of his pent up feelings through the game while Sonic quietly processed what he'd just been told. He wasn't a stranger to time travel, not by a long shot, but even so, it wasn't what he thought the answer to that day had been. As much faith he had in his best friend, his self-sacrificial tendencies were something he couldn't help but take notice of. After all, he'd learned from the best, hadn't he?

But it wasn't with bitterness or disdain when he set his gaze on the teen beside him. That wasn't possible; not when he saw every age at once. Not when he was in absolute awe of how far his kid had come. 

"Tails."

"Sonic," Tails answered instinctively, matching his tone with the hint of a crooked smile.

"Thanks for saving him."

Tails blinked and paused the game so he could look at Sonic. In the light from the television screen, green eyes glimmered with a depth that took him back to a younger version of his big bro, who was trying to do everything in his power to be there for him. Because he wanted to be. Because he needed to be.

One tail curled around Sonic's back and draped over his lap, giving back the same reassurance he always gave so freely.

"Anytime, big bro."

saving for when ao3 returns.

A bunch of thugs kidnap the younger brother of the most powerful hero on Mobius.

They really should've known better...

LONG LIVE WHOLESOME SONIC AND TAILS WEDNESDAY!

AAHHHH!!! HIS HOME IS WHEREVER TAILS IS AT THAT MOMENT!!!!!

No one knows where Sonic lives.

Even in his so called world renowed hero status, there’s way too little that the general public knows about Sonic The Hedgehog, sure, they know what his favorite food is, they know the names of his friends, and they know when his birthday is, but they don’t know where is he from, how is he so fast, or what is his reason to fight.

They know about most of the times he has saved the world, but they don’t know why his shoes don’t get burned by his speed, they know he can turn into a god-like glowy golden being, but they don’t know how exactly the magical jewels that do that work, they know he’s unstoppable, but they don’t know why.

Most people don’t care that much about that kind of information, even if he’s a hero, that’s his own business, even heroes need privacy; but then there’s the curiosity, the enigma, the mystery, most of those questions will be left without a solid answer, but there’s a few that should have definitive one.

Where does someone who can run around the whole globe in a matter of hours live? There’s a lot of theories.

Sonic has enough fame to have several fan clubs all around the world, and between all those fan clubs there’s been a lingering interest in the enigma of where does sonic live, between all the other questions this one is the one that gets the most possible answers, considering factors like his speed, his well known crave for adventure, his love for nature, all of it could make the difference between the right answer and the wrong answer.

At certain point, the curiosity reaches to more general public apart from the fanatism prone, and when in opportunity to talk to him, a lot of people start asking him the same question: “where do you live?” the answers all equal and all different at the same time “right here in the same world as you” “it varies from time to time” “I don’t think you could visit me”

The vagueness, the confusing contradictions, the evasion of the subject; he’s doing this on purpose. They might not know a lot about the blue speedster, but now this sole data needs to be known.

They start asking Sonic’s acquaintances instead of the hedgehog himself, they know they’re not getting an answer out of him at this point, and if anyone could have one, his friends should know it. Turns out that they don’t know.

Most of his friends being more annoyed with the fact that not even they know where he lives than about the people sticking their noses to his friend’s business was a surprise to the masses, and underwhelming, backtracking, frustrating surprise.

There’s an anonymous user online who affirms that not even the hedgehog’s arch nemesis knows where Sonic lives. Reliable sources support the statement.

The waters of nonsense gossip calm down after some time, but the question still remains, left to be more of general curiosity than lingering mystery.

A random day in a random town, a news program happens to be live outside when the speedster passes by and stops to smell the flowers around the area, the reporters ask him for a small interview, he says they have till he finishes picking up enough flowers for a crown.

They ask the same question everyone has asked for quite some time, just a different word, “Sonic, where is your home?”

Apparently the accidental rephrasing change is what finally gets it, as the speedster just says “right now? should be at mystic ruins”

He runs off immediately, the reporters left speechless, the program still on air on TV’s and the web, and the world going wild.

They finally got a straight, solid, specific answer. “That can’t be true” “but it can” “it’s logical” “it’s not” “he must’ve been joking” “he sounded serious” and more and more discussions take place around that single interview, the fan clubs are theorizing again, the general public is now more curious, and the official news from all over the globe need to confirm this by themselves.

So they ask again.

A full week later, a different city in a different country, different news reporters don’t even bother to ask him for an interview, they just run to him the moment they see the blue blur pass by and ask him again “Sonic, where is your home?!” He yells his answer without stopping:

“Last time I checked was in Central City”.

“It’s a contradiction” “then he was joking before” “he might change where he lives weekly” “we need more proof” “that was way too specific again”.

A different continent, two days later, a group of kids manage to record him when he greets them from the other side of a mountain, they ask “Where is your home?!” He yells back “I’m not sure at the moment!”

The confusion only grows, now no one knows if he’s genuinely giving true answers or full ass lying, it would be logical for him to do either. The curiosity becomes a mystery again, and people are legitimately trying to track all the locations he has mentioned to find out what is this all about. Some people even try to track him down. They try.

A whole month later, there’s a celebration near sunset city, a commemoration of some sorts, there’s been a lot of battles in way too little time so people just try to think about the party rather than the motive for it. Sonic attends the celebration along some of his friends.

A local news channel manages to reach him at the chili dog stand where he is waiting for his food while talking to the two tailed fox everyone knows is his best friend. They don’t mean to interrupt, but these opportunities are limited.

They ask the same question, the same word change that they know works: “Sonic, where is your home?”

The blue blur hangs an arm around the kit’s shoulder in a half hug as he grins widely, he says loudly: “right now, it’s right here!”

This time his home was with him.

I love this and I needed to spread it. Also, I would totally read a fic like thjis. Please send me the link or the name.

eggman: time to make a choice on who to save, hero. your precious little buddy, or-

sonic: tails.

eggman:

sonic:

eggman: you don't even know what the other option is

sonic: don't need to. tails is more important

eggman: oh? more important than an entire city of-

sonic: yes.

eggman:

sonic:

eggman:

sonic: give me my brother

Tails Gijinka!!

This is my first post on here so yeah

I headcanon him as a Canadian boy who loves hot chocolate and snow days!! He also gives me the type to be forced to wear snow pants when he was younger to go play outside LOL

⭐️

Need a submissive male to put to bondage forever 🔏🔐❤️😈

Here I am, back at it again with more fanart! This is for @skimmingmilk Sonic Prime AU, and as soon as I read about Bur all of these popped into my mind and I had to draw them!

Link to the post that inspired this