Archive of Our Own

Tails huffed as he glared at the pancake batter he’d spilled on the counter. Cream-coloured liquid spread out across the surface. Most of the contents of the bowl had stayed contained, thankfully, but it was still a nuisance. He rubbed his face irritably. Now he had to clean that up before he started cooking.

Everything today had to be perfect. Perfect.

Sonic’s birthday had always been weird to Tails. He was almost positive that the only reason he even knew the date was because Sonic had accidentally let it slip once when they were kids. He was very cagey about it, avoiding any conversation in which someone brought it up. Sonic insisted Tails not do anything for the day, though sometimes he would rope the hedgehog into spending time with him under the guise of normalcy anyway. Sonic never showed any interest in celebrating his birthday, didn’t even want to acknowledge the day. He hated anyone making a fuss over him. But that’s why Tails needed today to be as perfect as possible. His scientific brain knew “perfect” was unattainable, but the eleven year old in him chose to ignore that.

It was still dark outside but the sun wasn’t far off now. Tails knew he had roughly twenty minutes to prepare breakfast before Sonic got up. The hedgehog’s flawless internal clock allowed him to practically rise with the sun. Tails needed this breakfast ready before he left for a run or he might miss him entirely. The problem was, Sonic was better at making pancakes than he was. He’d asked Amy for some help a few days ago and, after several burnt disasters, finally got the hang of it. Amy’s recipe was really good but it didn’t quite taste the same as Sonic’s. There was something just… unique about Sonic’s pancakes.

But Sonic would appreciate every ounce of effort anyway. He wasn’t expecting anything different today; either way he was going to be surprised. Tails just hoped it would be a good surprise and not a bad one. And also that he didn’t suspect Tails’ real motive for making breakfast this morning.

After wiping up the mess on the counter, the fox poured a thin layer of the batter into the frying pan. He was making the thinner style pancakes that Sonic preferred. Made simply with eggs, milk, flour, and a touch of butter, they poured very similar to crêpes but not quite as thin. The texture was vastly different too, the pancakes being fluffier because they rose a little bit, whereas crêpes were almost paper-thin. Honestly, Tails hadn’t known the difference until Amy had explained it the other day. When Tails was sure the pancake was cooked on one side, he grabbed a spatula and eased it underneath to separate it from the pan. Then he flipped it over. He could never do it the way Sonic did, where he shimmied it to the edge of the pan and flicked his wrist to flip the pancake. Sonic always made it look so effortless; the pancake always ended up on the floor when Tails tried.

Sonic was so cool.

He was always so cool. And nothing would ever change Tails’ mind on that front. It was an effortless thing; Sonic didn’t even have to try. He just… was.

How Tails wished he could openly celebrate today with him, to celebrate him. He never did find out what his issue was with it.

He was six when he realised they’d never celebrated Sonic’s birthday.

Two years. They’d known each other for almost two years. Sonic didn’t have any rings but he always found a way to brighten Tails’ birthday. The first year, curious as it was, Sonic gave him flowers. Very round, orange flowers with many layers of petals. They were very pretty and Tails had welcomed the gesture. The thought behind them meant so much to the little fox, more than the flowers themselves; Sonic had hand picked them, just for Tails. He got one the second year too – Sonic had told them they were called chrysanthemums then. Tails had also received a cupcake that Sonic had gotten from a lady they’d helped out the day before. Lemon drizzle. That was a good day.

And Tails had wanted to return the favour. So he’d asked when Sonic’s birthday was. And asked. And asked again. Every time, Sonic seemed to avoid the subject. Or he’d do that thing where he’d pretend he hadn’t heard the question at all. The more he tried, the more frustrated Sonic had appeared. He didn’t want to make the hedgehog mad.

So Tails had wisely given up. He resigned himself to never knowing. Promised that he’d find other ways to repay Sonic for his bountiful kindness. For taking him in, helping him survive, giving him anything and everything. For going out of his way to try and make his birthday a little more special every year.

A few months passed before it happened.

Sonic was lounging on the wing of the Tornado at the time. For once, they weren’t hidden away anywhere. Weren’t holed up in a cave, tucked away in a valley, atop a high hill where they could see all their surroundings or braving it in the woods. The camp had been set up at the edge of a meadow. Not concealed in any way. Exposed. Sonic, for once, wasn’t being cautious. And that terrified Tails.

Because Sonic was always cautious.

“Sonic…?”

The hedgehog hummed. He would vocalise all the time but he didn’t speak. Never any words. Tails had read about it in a library sometime after he met the hedgehog. Sonic was mute. But last year they’d started learning sign language so Sonic could communicate with him better. Writing had worked for a little while – another thing Tails had to teach him – but it was clunky and slow and Sonic had been frustrated by it. Now he could express himself better. It was nice actually being able to exchange words with Sonic. It meant he could ask questions that were open ended. And Sonic could tell him stories.

Sonic’s stories were the best. He was such a fascinating mobian. So animated and cool and passionate. Sign had opened up a world of possibilities for them both, revealed more and more of Sonic’s marvellous personality. Not that there had been anything wrong with his ultra rad brother before now. He was different but that’s what made him Sonic. Tails was proud to be considered the family of such an awesome hedgehog. Learning sign had just made things a little… easier.

“Shouldn’t we go somewhere safer?” he mumbled, fiddling with his tail. “You know, in case Eggman tries to attack?”

Sonic waved him away nonchalantly. He didn’t appear to be worried at all. It calmed Tails somewhat but he was confused. Why wasn’t Sonic urging them elsewhere right now? The hedgehog was totally fine being out in the open as long as their stuff was safely hidden with the Tornado. But with his beloved plane just sitting there, how was he so calm? Tails knew his brother would be devastated if anything happened to her. So why risk it? Was he trying to draw their enemy’s attention? Tails supposed it was possible. What a risky tactic though, even for the courageous, confident hedgehog.

‘Egghead usually takes a break today,’ Sonic signed to him.

One ear bent back slightly, Tails frowned at the hedgehog’s hands. Eyes drifting up to Sonic’s face, Tails took in Sonic’s posture. His hands were resting on his chest, where they’d fallen when he was done signing – they’d been folded behind his head before that, displaying his indifference. Green eyes closed, he was leaning back lengthways on the wing with his legs crossed at the ankles. His quills were low but not completely. But this was Sonic’s resting state, so at least his guard wasn’t completely down. He seemed so… sure of that fact.

“Really?” Tails asked. “How come?”

‘It’s my birthday.’

Sonic seemed to freeze, eyes snapping open. Tails’ own eyes widened slightly. Sonic’s guard had been way down. He didn’t even think about his response. And Tails knew it immediately, knew that he hadn’t meant to tell him what he did. So he had to measure his response, tread carefully.

Sonic had blown him off enough times by this point that Tails knew this was a sensitive subject. He didn’t know why but it didn’t matter why; Sonic absolutely did not like talking about his birthday. So, just as Sonic used to ignore his questions about it, Tails would pretend the slip had never happened. He would not acknowledge it, despite how much he longed to do so. Wouldn’t ask why Eggman knew and why he’d care to be so generous with that precious knowledge. Just move on with the conversation, show Sonic that the information was safe with the fox. Because it was.

“I suppose even Eggman needs a breather every now and then in order to keep up with you, huh?” Tails said with a chuckle.

Marginally, Sonic untensed. He blinked. It was clear that he was taken aback by the fox’s lack of response to the accidental reveal. He sat up, folding his legs. For a moment, the hedgehog eyed Tails warily. Steady blue eyes met green. There was an odd anxiety hovering there in an exceptionally brief moment of vulnerability. Then it melted away and Sonic nodded with a smirk.

‘I’m far too fast for the old man. He’s probably real tired with all those robots he needs to constantly repair.’

Tails agreed. But he subtly rechecked the date a couple hours later, marked it down as a special day. He hadn’t needed to do it though – once Tails had discovered the date, it seared itself into his mind. He’d keep it with him forever, close to his chest. Treat it like very important information that had to be protected at all costs. Because if Sonic didn’t want it getting out, Tails would respect that. But he knew it. He finally knew it. And he could plan out subtle ways of making sure his brother was happy on his birthday. It was the least he could do; Sonic deserved it. And it all started with today.

June 23^rd.

It appeared Tails had been just in time. As he was flipping his last pancake – the rest were kept to temperature in the previously pre-heated, now cooling oven – the kitchen door creaked open. Tails turned, casting a look at his brother. The hedgehog was running his hands through his quills to straighten them; he still looked a little ruffled from sleeping. Even with tussled fur, groggy in the early morning, Sonic still managed to look awesome.

Maybe it had nothing to do with his appearance. Maybe it was his personality that gave Tails that impression. His heart. Because he knew what an amazing person his brother was. Past the smirks and arrogance and flippant attitude was a brave, selfless hero. Past all that was his brother.

“Need to fix that door,” Sonic grumbled.

His brother had always hated unnecessary noise. Squeaky doors, creaky floorboards. His own steps were so light that it was hard to tell if he was even in the house half the time. Tails made a mental note to check the door himself tomorrow. He had more important things for today though. Sonic hadn’t been talking to Tails when he’d made the offhanded comment but if he could take that burden off Sonic’s mind, he would so without a thought.

“Mornin’, Tails,” Sonic said, a little more perky now. “What’re you doing up at this time?”

The hedgehog paused, noticing what Tails was doing. He quirked a brow, tilting his head in that exaggerated way he always did – a remnant from his time when he was almost completely mute. Sonic had toned down a lot of his expressiveness as he’d gotten older, so Tails was glad he still had some quirks remaining from back then. It bugged him that Sonic was somehow harder to read than he had been back when he couldn’t speak at all. That old semi-openness had closed off long ago. Still, the cracks were there; Tails would take all he could get. It was ok though, Sonic was still Sonic and that would never change.

“Thought I smelled something heavenly from upstairs,” Sonic said. “Whatcha makin’?”

“Pancakes,” Tails told him. “Thought I’d have a go at making breakfast today. Glad I caught you before your run.”

Sonic hummed, flopping down in his seat at the table. The one closest to the kitchen door. Always that chair. He rested his elbow on the surface of the table, chin in his hand. With his other hand, he fiddled with the lemon juice bottle. It was one of those ones made of yellow plastic that was actually shaped like a lemon; Sonic was rolling it around on its side absently. Tails watched him from the corner of his eye, hiding his smile.

“S’pose I gotta stay a little longer then.”

Sonic grinned at him playfully. Tails returned it over his shoulder, turning back to take out the last pancake before it started to burn. He opened the oven, set the last one down on Sonic’s plate, then brought both to the table. Sonic perked up.

“Someone’s been busy,” he said with a chuckle.

That’s right. The oven trick was a tip from Amy. Usually Sonic made them as they went. Always Tails’ first. Then they’d talk while Sonic made his own. His brother always put Tails’ next one on as he was eating his, hovering by the hob. They’d repeat the process until all the batter Sonic had whipped up that morning was gone. He always seemed to make a disproportionate amount; starting and somehow ending on Tails every time without fail. The fox knew his brother did it on purpose. It was just one of those things that had always been the case, so he wouldn’t think much on it anymore.

If Tails was lucky, he’d get a crushed peppermint in one of them at random too. He'd chosen to forgo that little treat today. It always felt more special coming from Sonic. That… and he couldn’t find them. Sonic had taken to hiding the bag of peppermints he used for baking so Tails couldn’t sneak them when he was out of the house. Tails had tried to insist he wasn’t stealing them.

He’d totally been doing that though.

Tails explained his reasoning for the oven to Sonic, about how the idea had come from Amy. His fast-paced brother admitted it was a good idea. They could eat the pancakes together this way. It was actually nice. No rushing to eat anything or Sonic being distracted from his own food. And if they needed to, the oven was still hot enough to keep the others warm. Tails beamed at Sonic praise, even if it was sort of indirect; Amy was really the one who should get the credit. Still, Tails had taken the time to learn and listen. Sonic was proud. And that felt best of all.

As he ate, Tails watched Sonic go through his usual method of eating pancakes. He’d sprinkle one with sugar, drizzle it with lemon juice, roll it up and then cut it with a fork. He’d eat them as separate little spirals off goodness. Then repeat with the next. Tails usually didn’t care enough to copy him, though he had to admit the technique was delicious. He preferred golden or maple syrup on his own though. Or peppermint pieces.

Sonic didn’t seem to have any complaints. He happily munched away, completely unaware of Tails’ real intentions with the breakfast. Good. The fox would prefer if he just enjoyed his morning without thinking about any… specific dates. Sonic was sometimes blindsided by his own birthday anyway, so it was very likely he didn’t even remember what today was. All the better, in Tails’ opinion. It just meant Sonic could enjoy his day without thinking about it. For whatever reason, Sonic was weird about his birthday and, if he didn’t want to talk about it, Tails wouldn’t press. That only ever drove Sonic away, further into the walls he’d been building over the years. And sometimes, physically away. That was the last thing the two-tailed fox wanted. He hated when Sonic shut him out.

Now that Sonic had eaten, he was definitely going to go for his morning run. So Tails had to get his request in before he disappeared for the day. It was very possible that he might not come back for a while if he did. Sometimes he would, oftentimes he didn’t.

“Would you like to help me with something after your run?” Tails asked.

He knew not to interrupt the run. The morning run was almost sacred to Sonic. When he had the time, he always did a lap around the Mystic Ruins, at the very least. Sometimes he’d go further out, which is what often led to distractions that would keep him away for longer periods of time. Sonic had always been an independent soul. There were times, sure, where he let his guard down and needed help. Those days, usually his off days, varied in frequency but did happen.

There were always signs.

The first thing Miles picked up on was the lethargy.

Every day, Sonic was always awake well before he was. For as long as Miles had known him, the hedgehog always woke first, like he had his own mental alarm clock. The first time that didn’t happen, it threw the fox off big time. But it wasn’t that worrying. So Sonic slept in, nothing weird about that. Everyone did that sometimes, right?

Except, he came to understand very quickly that, for Sonic, this was far from normal. And it was the behaviour that came after that tipped him off. All the little things that hinted at more beyond a simple lie-in or potential restless night. Because Sonic just wasn’t right. He was a creature of habit most mornings; waking at the crack of dawn, doing some stretches, taking a run, fetching some fruit for when Tails woke. So when none of those things happened, it was certainly odd. It took just three times for the pattern to become undeniable.

The first was the most significant though. The one that really stuck with him.

It had been just a regular day. At least, that’s what little four year old Miles had thought. Rubbing that sandy stuff from his eyes that had collected there during his sleep, he sat up with a yawn. He glanced around to see if Sonic was about yet. If he was lucky, he’d see Sonic before he left. The hedgehog was still there. But he wasn’t doing his regular stretches. He wasn’t awake at all. Miles tilted his head. He was used to waking up alone but not being the first to wake. Standing up, Miles tiptoed over to the battered backpack Sonic kept for supplies. They had a slightly cracked plastic cup they used to get water from the river. Miles was thirsty. But the zip was super noisy. He tried easing it open very slowly but Sonic’s ear twitched almost instantly at the first sound. Miles backed off. The hedgehog didn’t get up. A total of ten seconds was spent deliberating on whether the cup was worth waking the hedgehog.

In the end, Miles decided to drink with his hands. He wandered off through the trees, keeping his ears perked for danger, like Sonic always did. The river wasn’t too far, so Miles wasn’t worried about getting lost on the way back – it was a straight shot there and back. Sonic moved them about frequently so Eggman couldn’t find them but they’d been in this area before, so it was fine. Sonic’s plane was elsewhere on the island right now, hidden inside a cave. So it was just them and the backpack out here.

When he came upon the river, he took off his gloves and cupped them. Then he dipped them into the cold water. It was running clear so Miles was pretty sure it was safe. He drank a few handfuls before he made his way back – Sonic might get worried if he couldn’t find Miles, so he didn’t want to stay away too long.

But Sonic was still asleep.

Miles tottered over, settling himself down a few tail-lengths out of the hedgehog’s personal space. He could see his face from this angle, all twisted up. Bad dream maybe. Those weren’t fun. Sonic stayed that way for a few minutes more before his eyes blearily opened. His eyelids were heavy and so, it seemed, was his body when he eventually forced himself to sit up. The hedgehog was moving like molasses today. It struck Miles as odd.

“Morning, Sonic,” he said brightly.

Sonic made some sound. Like a groan or sigh. He rubbed his face with his gloved hands, the movement sluggish. Curiously, Miles could see that his ears were all wilty too. And when he finally removed his hands, Miles got a better look at his eyes. They looked different. Like the life had been drawn out from them. All dull and glazed over. Was this what Sonic was like when he woke up? Miles had never seen him like this before but maybe that was it. He was sure he’d seen Sonic take naps though and he’d not been all weird after those. Unless sleeping and napping was different? And Sonic usually shot him a smile in the mornings. He’d ruffle Miles’ fur or give him a high five. He got not one of those this time.

Was Sonic mad at him for something? When he’d upset the hedgehog last month, Sonic had been huffy and he’d ignored him all day. But by the next morning, everything had gone back to normal. So why was he like this now? Miles couldn’t think of anything he’d done and Sonic was perfectly fine yesterday. Eventually, Sonic gave him a small wave. A very, very delayed response to Miles’ greeting. The smile wasn’t there but Miles had been acknowledged. So he wasn’t in trouble then. But it didn’t cheer Miles up any. Because Sonic was acting weird and he didn’t like it.

“Are you ok?”

Maybe he was sick? Miles was always pretty miserable when he was ill. That had happened once since he’d met Sonic and the hedgehog had looked after him. So maybe that was what was wrong? He was feeling sick. And Miles could return the favour.

But then Sonic nodded and Miles didn’t know what to think. He certainly didn’t seem ok. But Sonic had said he was fine, so he just accepted it.

He hadn’t yet known Sonic long enough to know it was a lie. To understand why the hedgehog had lied.

But it became very apparent that the hedgehog had lied. Sonic seriously struggled through the day. There was no stretching. He didn’t go for a run, which triggered alarm bells in Miles head; Sonic loved running. He went on a run every morning for his wake-up routine. So it really stood out that he wasn’t and, for some reason, it really stressed Miles out. He tagged along to help Sonic find some fresh fruit because he was afraid the other just wouldn’t come back if he left him alone. He even scooped up the backpack and slipped it on, just in case – the other had completely forgotten it. Sonic was so lethargic; the hedgehog was practically dragging himself through the trees like a wounded animal. Gloom seemed to cling to him, emotional tar weighing him down. He seemed so dejected.

When they finally found a blueberry bush deeper in the woods, Sonic just… plonked himself down next to it. Miles approached with hesitant steps, eyeing Sonic anxiously. The hedgehog lackadaisically gestured to the bush and pulled his knees to his chest. He watched Miles though half-lidded eyes as the fox sat down across from him and picked off blueberries.

Guess they were eating here. But Sonic never reached for a single berry. And by the time Miles was ready to move on, Sonic was still stagnant.

For the rest of the day, he didn’t even move from that spot.

“Yeah, sure, bud,” Sonic said. “I’ll try not to be too long, promise.”

Tails cheered inside. It had been a while since they’d had time to properly hang out, just the two of them. With all the friends they had now and near-regular Eggman attacks, it really was getting harder to find the time. Don’t get him wrong, Tails adored all their friends. He just missed hanging with Sonic. It was different with him, especially when they were alone.

It had always been different.

“Take your time, honestly,” Tails insisted. “No rush.”

Sonic laughed. He ruffled the fur between Tails ears. The fox giggled, swatting the hedgehog’s hand away. It wasn’t that he hated it. Tails knew it was an affectionate gesture and he liked it very much simply because Sonic loved doing it. It could be annoying sometimes when the hedgehog messed up his fur but the smile on Sonic’s face was almost always worth it. And he didn’t hate it all the time; it really was nice. He couldn’t quite remember when it had started. Sonic was a little twitchy about touch for a while when they were kids but that had changed at some point. Mostly.

He just wished he could remember when it had changed. And why. Not that he was complaining, it was a good thing after all. But he wanted to know what it was that had cleared up that old aversion. Trust maybe? Sonic was always funny with that…

“Ge’off,” Tails mumbled, still smiling.

Sonic backed off, hands raised in defence. He wasn’t offended though; this was a regular occurrence. Tails definitely played it up more than it would ever truly bother him. And Sonic knew. It was one of those mutual, silly things they did. One of those “sibling things,” as Knuckles would say.

“Ok, ok,” Sonic said, humour still present in his voice. “I’ll get going. See ya in a few, little bro!”

“Bye, Sonic!”

He just managed to get it out before Sonic disappeared. For a split-second, he was staring at a grinning afterimage of his big bother. It faded from his sight almost instantly. But he’d see it. The lingering air that buffeted his fur for just a moment made him feel all giddy. Where the wind went, so too did Sonic. But he’d be back soon; he promised.

The fox had thought about getting Sonic a gift, flowers even. Still wanted to, really. But while Sonic would happily accept it, he wouldn’t be entirely pleased. If any attention was brought to the fact it was his birthday he’d get shifty. And, if he hadn’t remembered that today was that, he’d be reminded, which he also didn’t like. So no gift, no cake, no reminders. Simple.

Now Tails just had to set up what he actually had planned. It wouldn’t take long really; he’d already gathered most of what they’d need. But there was one big thing that needed to be done while Sonic was out.

It was time to head to the garage to clean up a bit.

They wouldn’t be too far into the garage really. But the door would be open and it was more practical to keep to the concrete ground. Sonic would definitely see further inside; it was unavoidable. If Tails could try and tidy up a little teeny-tiny bit, Sonic wouldn’t have to be so bothered by it all. At least for today. As long as half of it was out of sight or at least piled up somewhere off in the corner, it would at least look a little better. It was worth the effort for the sake of Sonic’s birthday. So Tails set to work on his chaotic mess of a workshop. His plan was to move a lot of the parts and half-finished projects off the floor and some of the surfaces and box them up in the corner so the clutter was somewhat contained. Then he could sweep up some of the dirt, dust, metal shavings and shards from the floor. It would be safer in the long run too, it was just hard to keep everything neat all the time.

Tails sort of thrived in chaos when it came to his workshop. When he was deep into a project, he tuned out everything else. That’s why the place got so messy so fast. And that’s why Sonic usually startled him when he just appeared in the garage sometimes. The hedgehog had started trying to knock more often but, though he was trying, it did sometimes slip his mind. He wasn’t perfect, but no one was. And he always apologised when he spooked Tails. Always. Besides, even the knock would make his heart stop on occasion. He was just so in the zone sometimes that anything would take him off guard. If he didn’t first ignore a pin dropping, he was sure even that tiny sound would startle him, metaphor or not.

It took a little longer than he expected to get everything into boxes and piles. Some of his bigger inventions had to just sit there next to everything but that was fine; it was out of the way at least. On the bright side, Sonic wasn’t back yet so he had a chance to sweep.

Tails stole a glance at his pride and joy near the garage door. There the Tornado stood, looking rather sad. Half of her was grey where he’d had to replace pieces. A third of the lower left supporting plane, both the upper and lower supporting planes on the right. Practically all of the interplane struts. The vertical rudder and right elevator. The rear alighting gear. The propeller had been bent out of shape and needed replacing too. A whole chunk of the right side of the body had to be completely redone. And even the parts of the plane that had remained intact after the crash last month were scratched up, with flaking paint and burn marks. It was surprising that the running gear itself had been mostly intact, besides a worn down wheel. Tails had done his best to restore all he could. This wasn’t the first and most certainly wouldn’t be the last time the old girl got banged up. But Tails would be damned if he didn’t reinforce and upgrade everything to the best of his ability.

The old girl would fly yet. And she better.

Or Sonic would kill him.

Not literally, of course. He could never see Sonic doing something so horrible. Frankly, he didn’t think the hedgehog was capable, especially not if it was him. But the Tornado had been Sonic’s baby up until last year. Tails was still reeling from it.

November 24^th. Sonic had given up the Tornado to Tails. Passed her on. But Tails knew. He knew Sonic was still so deeply attached to the biplane.

“Are… are you sure, Sonic?”

“You’ll be able to look after her better than me,” Sonic said.

The hedgehog rested his hand on the side of the plane. There was a fond, sort of wistful look in his eye as he gazed upon the Tornado. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t see her, ride or even fly her again, but he supposed the symbolic act of handing the plane off was rather bittersweet. Because the Tornado would stay where she’d always been. She just wouldn’t be… Sonic’s anymore. And that felt super weird to Tails too. Of course, he loved the biplane. With all his heart. But to take her away from Sonic just felt super, ultra wrong.

When Sonic turned his attention back to Tails, he smiled. The moment of grief was gone, overshadowed completely by the fond, proud glint in his eyes. Warmth spread though Tails’ chest at the expression.

“Besides,” Sonic said with a chuckle. “Everyone already thinks she’s yours. This was bound to happen. I’ve just been…”

He trailed off with a hum.

“Selfish.”

Tails’ eyes widened. He could never, ever in a million year ever associate that word with Sonic. And he couldn’t even understand where this was coming from. Selfish for what?

“How do you mean?” Tails asked, perplexed. “I don’t think you could be selfish if you tried.”

Sonic laughed. It didn’t sound quite right but Tails could not acknowledge it. He couldn’t. Or Sonic might just leave. He was already treading on extremely thin ice by questioning the hedgehog so much to begin with; a dangerous game with Sonic

“She should be with you, buddy,” Sonic said. “I don’t even fly her anymore. And I’m just holding you back from making upgrades as you please. Chaos, Tails, you still ask me for permission to fly her, but she’s basically been yours since you fixed her up for me all those years ago.”

“But… won’t you miss her?”

“She’s not going anywhere.”

That was true. Tails had acknowledged as much himself not two minutes ago. Still, this felt wrong. She had been, and always would be, Sonic’s plane in Tails’ eyes. The only way he could ever accept this gracious gift would be if he told himself he was looking after her for Sonic, like he’d always done. If Sonic ever asked for the Tornado back, he’d give her back in a heartbeat. Less than that – in a sonic-second.

Clearly, it would make Sonic feel better to accept it now though. So that was always a plus.

“Ok,” Tails said with a nod. “I’ll look after her.”

“Make sure she gets plenty of exercise,” Sonic teased, pulling Tails into a hug. “She gets restless like me, you know.”

Tails chuckled.

“I’ll take her out all the time, promise.”

“Good, you better,” Sonic said, looking at him funny. “Or…”

Tails furrowed his brow. Or what? Why did he trail off like that? He’d sounded so serious for a second that the fox actually tensed slightly. What was with that look?

He’d missed the signs. But seen the look of mischief on his face just before he struck.

Sonic tackled him, taking him to the floor. They were outside, the grass cushioning their fall, so it was fine. Tails squeaked in surprise. But he had no reason to be fearful; Sonic was just messing around. The hedgehog was spontaneous and spirited. Just one of the many reasons he loved his brother dearly. That was, until he felt fingers glide up his sides. Tails gasped. A betrayal, an attack. He tried to push Sonic away but the hedgehog wouldn’t let up. The hands at his sides were utterly torturous. He thrashed side to side, still trying to throw Sonic off. Tails couldn’t stop his laughter. Oh, how cruel the hedgehog could be sometimes.

“NO!” the fox cried between uncontrollable giggles. “S-Sonic! It’s my birthday! Stooooop!”

“This is but a taste of my wrath, Tails!”

“Ok, you’ve made your point now buzz off!”

Sonic just cackled like a madman.

“Hey, bud.”

Tails yelped, loosening his grip on the broom. Sonic zipped forwards, catching it before it could hit the floor. The hedgehog looked at him apologetically. Tails had a hand to his chest, heart failing for a moment. That certainly woke him up, he hadn’t expected Sonic to be back so soon. He really had been quick today. The fox only hoped he hadn’t cut his run short for him. This could have waited a little longer. It’s not like what they were going to be doing was important or anything.

“Oops,” Sonic said sheepishly. “Forgot again, sorry.”

Tails shook his head.

“Nah, that’s on me today,” he insisted. “My head was elsewhere.”

Sonic held the broom out to Tails like he was passing over some epic wizard’s staff or something stupid. The handle lying flat over his palms, arms extended out in front of him. He was bent at the waist, head slightly lowered but eyes glimmering with amusement still visible. He was one step away from being down on one knee, for Chaos sake. So dramatic. Tails rolled his eyes and snatched the broom back.

The hedgehog’s flair for the dramatics had surfaced at some point. Tails seemed to remember it appearing steadily with his voice, but it could have been present before then. Just more toned-down perhaps.

“Sooooo, we finally cleaning out this nuclear disaster zone of a garage?”

Huffing, Tails shooed him away with the broom. Sonic retreated, spinning away as though he was dancing. Each movement elegant and practiced, purposefully showy. It was equal parts silly and smooth. When he was done with his little ballet act, the hedgehog was closer to the kitchen door again. Sonic clasped his hands behind his back, staring across the space at him, the picture of innocence. The fox stared pointedly at Sonic, tails twitching at the ends. But he wasn’t upset. Not this time, at least.

They’d had this conversation a long time ago. But less… jokey.

Sonic had gotten fed up with the state of the garage and told Tails to clean up. That he’d asked several times and would no longer tolerate it. Tails had said that Sonic could just ignore it; he barely had to go in the garage for anything anyway so he didn’t see why it even mattered to him. Frustrated, Sonic had shot back that the house was his, therefore so was the garage. So ultimately, he decided what happened in its walls. And then Tails had snapped something he’d immediately regretted. Something he should not have said.

“How is it your house when you’re never around?”

Sonic had fallen silent. And then he’d just… left.

He didn’t return for two whole weeks. The hedgehog had not even answered his communicator when Tails called. The anger had immediately simmered down into concern. He just wanted to talk it out. Clearly, Sonic didn’t care to. He never had been good at talking.

Eventually, Tails had made his second mistake; he’d forced an override and tracked Sonic’s communicator. The hedgehog always had his location turned off because it made him supremely uncomfortable that his whereabouts could be monitored like that. So predictably, that had just angered Sonic more. Tails had overstepped with something very sensitive. But he’d been equally as upset with Sonic for leaving and making him worry so much about it all. For not just answering his communicator when he’d tried to reach out. So they fought. Again.

Stupid, meaningless words were exchanged. Things Tails could hardly even remember. Things he was ashamed to have said, that he hadn’t meant to say. And Sonic had uttered some pretty harsh things himself. Things that Tails knew he’d probably never forgive himself for. Because that’s the kind of person Sonic was.

It had all started over nothing. Something so insignificant.

Sonic had ripped off his communicator and thrown it at Tails. Had snapped something about invading his privacy. Then he vanished for another week. And there was no way to find him then.

His brother came back eventually, subdued and in tears. Apologising profusely. A rare moment of vulnerability and distress for the normally steadfast hero. And of course, Tails had immediately forgiven him, had apologised himself. Whatever they’d been arguing about flew out of his mind when he saw the state Sonic was in. It no longer mattered. They ended up in a heap on the floor of that same garage that had started the argument to begin with. Sobbing messes in each other’s arms.

Because it hadn’t really been the garage that was the issue. Not really. It had definitely bothered Sonic but it was merely the catalyst. That last little thing that had made him snap. They’d both been stressed about Eggman’s silence. Oftentimes when the mad doctor fell into a period of nothing, he was planning something big. Sonic had replaced his restless worry with frustration. A tactic that was unhealthy but unfortunately increasingly common for him. And then he’d taken that frustration out on Tails. The fox himself had been agitated with his latest remote hacking attempt being crushed by Eggman’s systems. Tensions had been high and they’d both been on edge. They should have never been so snippy with each other though.

Sonic couldn’t stop saying sorry. He practically apologised every day for the next month. And Tails knew he’d probably been feeling this from the very beginning. But he kept it down, just forced all that bad stuff away and worked himself up instead, focused on something unimportant. And it had taken its toll, had broken him down until he couldn’t resist it anymore. It was one of only a handful of times that Tails had ever seen him cry.

In the end, the hedgehog agreed that the space was Tails’. He could do with it as he pleased and the subject was dropped for a good while. The next time Sonic brought it up, he’d done it only as a joke. A clear, playful joke, as though trying to replace that awful stretch of time they’d both endured with humour. A defence mechanism. Since then, even though Tails knew the mess bothered him, Sonic wouldn’t step over that boundary again. Perhaps there was truth in some of his comments but he never pushed for Tails to actually do anything. Not anymore. And the fox had promised not to track his communicator again unless it was a genuine emergency. That had been uncalled for.

They’d both been really distraught after that fight.

They were brothers; the two were bound to butt heads every now and then. But they didn’t enjoy fighting, no one did. It wasn’t their first argument and unfortunately they would doubtlessly have more in the future too. But hopefully none of them would escalate to that level again.

Tails shook his head, putting it from his mind.

“Hush,” he grumbled.

Sonic snickered. All in good fun. There was no reason to think on it again. So Tails would not. He had more important things on his mind right now. Like spending time with the best mobian in the world. He couldn’t have ask for a better brother. Fights were inevitable with someone you spent so much time with. And everyone had their faults. It didn’t change the fact that Sonic was still his favourite person ever.

“So whatcha need help with then?” Sonic asked.

“I was wondering if you’d like to help me repaint the Tornado,” Tails asked, setting the broom down.

Sonic didn’t even hesitate.

“Where’s the paint?”

Tails pointed to the box by the door into the kitchen. There were several buckets of metal paint inside, brushes and rollers. The plane didn’t have to look perfect; this was supposed to be fun. There was red, yellow, blue and white paint inside. Tails wanted Sonic to choose what the base colour would be, then they could have fun with the design. But he had a good idea which colour Sonic was going to go for – the same colour it had been when he’d first found the biplane. His favourite colour. But that wasn’t the only thing to consider.

He asked Sonic to open the garage door for him while he hopped up into the pilot’s seat of the Tornado. They weren’t taking the plane out of the workshop entirely, only wheeling her to the entrance. Those paint fumes were not going to do well in an enclosed space. Besides, Sonic liked open spaces far more than he liked enclosed ones. It was just a win-win all around. The whole garage was going to smell like paint for a while with the Tornado sitting inside, long after it had all dried. Tails was at peace with this fact. But he might have to work with the door wide open for a while. Oh well, little sacrifices – the old girl deserved a fresh coat of paint.

Predictably, Sonic chose the red paint. But there were two options for the red. The hedgehog held up his choice.

“Glossy!” he declared. “So that way she shines!”

Tails wholly agreed. They set the matte paints aside. Tails could use them for some other projects at a later date; nothing would go wasted. A lot of his own tech was always yellow. When he made stuff for Sonic and Knuckles, he liked colour coding them with blue and red respectively too. It just made everything easier to sort. And white was always a good accent colour.

They had a brief discussion about what exactly they wanted to do. But it wasn’t completely important. They could make it up as they went, change things on the fly. That was usually Sonic’s style anyway.

They grabbed a bucket of glossy red paint, a brush and roller each and set about painting the plane.

The whole base would be done in the glossy red, with a line of white around the sides about midway up. A gap was left on the left side of the plane for her name, centred with the white stripe; that would be added at the end in white. The propeller would be white and so would the interplane struts between the wings. As an afterthought, they added a yellow and blue stripe to each blade – blue on the outside, yellow on the inside, across the edges of the blades. The boss cap of the propeller was tipped in red too. Then they repeated the yellow and blue stripes across the tips of each wing to match the propeller.

The whole time, they chatted about various things. Tails rambled about his newest upgrade to the Tornado. Sonic told Tails about the flowers growing in the meadow this year. They may have bumped into each other once or twice and gotten paint on their fur. And Sonic may have slung blue paint at Tails’ arm. In which the fox may have retaliated by flicking yellow paint up his quills. And they may have had a little skirmish in the floor afterwards, paintbrushes brandished like weapons. Tails was probably never going to get all the paint out of the garage floor. He didn’t care. It would stay as a reminder of today.

They took a brief break to have lunch. Leftover pasta they’d gotten from Vanilla the other night. It was still just as good. All saucy and cheesy with penne and pepperoni pieces. Sort of like a pizza-inspired pasta bake.

Vanilla often gave them leftovers to make sure they were eating. She was a mother through and through, so caring and warm and thoughtful. The rabbit was always looking out for them. He knew Sonic was a little weirded out by it on occasion but they both valued it nonetheless. Unlike him, Tails had picked up on the fact that Sonic had never really had a parental figure in his life. Not one he remembered at least. So maybe that’s where his discomfort around the older rabbit stemmed from.

Eventually, Tails decided to try his luck and ask about later. He was hoping Sonic was stimulated enough by the painting that he wouldn’t be too restless. If it didn’t work, Sonic would leave for another run. Which was fine. Tails was just… hoping to spend a little more time with him.

“How’d you feel about chili dogs for dinner?”

“Tails,” Sonic said, mock offended. “I never say no to a chili dog.”

He’d succeeded.

They went back to finish off the details on the Tornado. The paint had had a little time to dry but it didn’t really matter; they’d just layered the other details before anyway. Sonic insisted Tails add his twin-tail logo; Tails chose a spot towards the back of the plane. The right hand side elevator. Sonic was painting TORNADO on the left of the body in block letters as he was doing this. The hedgehog’s lettering was a little shaky and wonky but Tails adored it – it gave the plane character and he only loved the detail more knowing his brother had painted it.

“Hey, bud,” Sonic piped up. “When you’re done, come here a sec. I got a cool idea.”

Tails nodded. He was just filling in the last of the yellow in his logo. He’d drawn and painted this logo so many times that it came to him super easy; he didn’t even need a reference. His signature twin-tails, marking an invention as his own. Honestly, the Tornado had been put back together so many times that it was probably closer to a whole new plane than and old refurbished one by now. He mentioned as much to Sonic. The hedgehog giggled.

“She’s definitely not my plane anymore,” he said.

It wasn’t snarky or dismayed. Still, there was that old hint of fond longing in his tone. It had been a very long time since Sonic flew her solo. Tails suspected he was worried of asking to borrow her, that he’d get attached again or disrupt Tails work or something. The fox was still set on giving her back if Sonic wanted the plane. Sure, he loved her but he loved his brother more. For Sonic, Tails would give up the world. There was a ninety-six percent likelihood that Sonic would never ask for her back though. She had been a gift.

When he came around to Sonic’s side of the biplane, Sonic had two buckets beside him. One blue, one yellow. Sonic held out his right hand and plunged it into the blue paint – they’d taken their gloves off to avoid ruining them ages ago. Still, Tails quirked a brow. Sonic gestured for Tails to come closer, then he told the fox to dip his own hand in the yellow. Left hand specifically. It clicked what Sonic wanted and Tails grinned. He didn’t fully submerge his hand like Sonic did, just touched his palm and fingers to the liquid. They didn’t even need to co-ordinate it. After the brothers lined it up, they both pressed their hands against the side of the Tornado, directly under the lettering Sonic had previously done. They pulled away, admiring their work.

The two handprints of their pads came away in yellow and blue, standing out on the red exterior. They exchanged beaming grins. It was perfect.

“Wait, I got a camera around here somewhere,” Tails said. “Let’s take a picture!”

“Let’s maybe wash our hands first,” Sonic added with a chuckle.

It was an indirect agreement.

They didn’t think it was very food-safe to wash their hands in the kitchen sink, so they used the downstairs toilet instead. They had to kick off their shoes in the garage to avoid tracking paint through to the rest of the downstairs though. They’d get a good scrub later, so it was no big deal. And they weren’t doing much, just chilling at home, so Sonic wasn’t too shifty without them. Cleaning their fur could wait too, as long as they didn’t lean against anything.

After a quick scrub – in which Tails had to put the tap on because Sonic’s hands were both stained – they ended up back in the garage. Tails was digging in his parts pile, searching for the camera he knew he’d seen earlier. See, this was the trouble with moving everything; he couldn’t find a thing now. Despite the mess of the garage before, Tails always knew where everything was. Mostly. Hey, there were exceptions to every rule. Especially if he forgot to put something back where it had been previously. But he remembered seeing the camera while he was shifting everything. It was here somewhere. Ear flicking back, he could hear Sonic shuffling around behind him. He chose to ignore that for a moment.

Hand stuck in a deep box, his fingers finally closed around something about the right size. Tails pulled it out. Nope. It was an old mini form of his Miles Electric, precursor to the communicators. He set it aside fondly and tried again. Another object met his hand. Through his blind feeling it certainly felt like the right shape. He took his hand out. It was the camera this time. Second time’s the charm, apparently.

When Tails turned around, he started.

While his back had been turned, Sonic had painted a section of the wall. A wonky version of Tails’ logo, in shiny yellow and white paint. It was dripping all over, making a rather crude and messy representation of it. A bit streaky in places because of the texture, applied thicker in other areas inconsistently. Sonic was no artist by any means. But it made Tails really happy, especially seeing the proud look on his brother’s face. The imperfections made it rather charming. He hated to tell him it would probably flake a lot faster because it was on the wrong surface type. Tails didn’t have the heart to say it though.

Maybe he’d find something to coat it with so it lasted longer.

“Tada!” the hedgehog exclaimed. “You were taking so long and I got bored.”

He’d only been looking for eight minutes at most. He should have expected something like this to be honest though. If Sonic wasn’t actively doing something, it was incredibly difficult for him to focus. Always had to be in motion.

“Oh, cool, you found it!”

Sonic flashed over, taking the device from his hands. Tails let it go without fuss. Sonic liked taking pictures so he wouldn’t stop him. The hedgehog zoomed around the biplane, stopping at regular intervals to get shots from different angles. Tails drifted over to the plane, subtly dipping his fingers in the yellow paint again as he passed. It was cool against his skin, wet in that thick way paint was. In his next go round, Sonic stopped beside Tails, dragging him into a side hug directly in front of where the name had been painted on the side of the Tornado. The fox jumped only slightly, used to Sonic’s antics. He’d been expecting it. Looking into the lens, Tails readied himself.

Just as Sonic was snapping the last picture, Tails shoved his fingers against his brother’s muzzle. He laughed maniacally. Sonic’s eyes widened just as the little shutter on the camera let out the distinctive, stuttery click-click. The hedgehog gasped, affronted. He got his revenge by nuzzling that same cheek into the top of Tails’ head. The fox yelped, still laughing. He tried to get away from Sonic but the hedgehog held him closer, continuing his assault. Large yellow ears twitched, picking up a light rumble in Sonic’s throat. His brother lightly tossed the camera into the cockpit – it landed safely on the cushioned pilot’s seat. Then Sonic hugged him properly.

“You sly little fox,” Sonic uttered quietly. “Thought you could get away with that, huh?”

That tone in his voice. Tails recognised it this time. But unlike the time before, he didn’t even have a chance to escape. His eyes widened. The hedgehog wouldn’t.

“No, wait! I surrender!”

“Too late!”

Sonic curled up around him, flipping them to the ground. Sonic took the brunt of the fall before rolling so that he could pin Tails down. He grinned at the fox devilishly. After a moment, he ran his fingers lightly through the fur on Tails’ sides. Up, down, side to side, in inconsistent, slow patterns. The fox thrashed, trying to get out from under Sonic but his big brother wouldn’t budge, just like last time. Tails laughed, tears collecting in the corner of his eyes. He tried to push at Sonic’s face with his paint-covered hand. The hedgehog didn’t care. And it wasn’t like Tails could try the same trick on his big brother either; as far as he knew, Sonic wasn’t ticklish. It wasn’t fair. He shouted as much at the hedgehog. Sonic ducked under the hand pressed against his face and touched noses to Tails. He’d stopped his attack, so Tails backed off too.

“I’ve missed this,” Sonic said after a content sigh.

Tails had too. Very much.

Sonic helped him to his feet. Tails grabbed Sonic further up his arm with his paint-hand. There wasn’t much left to even rub off into Sonic’s fur anymore. The blue hedgehog snorted, eyes half-lidded. While Sonic was trying to wipe some of the paint off his face with the back of his hand, Tails stared down at his own fur. They’d gotten super messy. It was all fun and games until the stuff solidified. He cringed; it was all in his tails too, what a pain.

“We should probably go clean up before the paint starts to dry,” Tails huffed. “It’s gonna be a nightmare to get out of our fur.”

“Yeah, well at least you don’t have quills,” Sonic grumbled, sticking his tongue out at him

“At least your fur is shorter.”

“Touché.”

Sonic had an ensuite in his room with a shower, so they didn’t have to fight over the main bathroom. Tails had never been bothered about having one himself; it would have been more work to install when they’d had the house built anyway. So Tails didn’t mind. It’s not like it had even been an issue when Sonic had first convinced Knuckles to stay the night either because there was a toilet downstairs and up. Tails didn’t ever envision it being an issue. Besides, there was so much stuff piled in his room and on his walls that there wouldn’t be space to even add the door to one at this point. Tails was beyond content with the way his room was already – it was the biggest bedroom in the house too.

He ran himself a bath, knowing Sonic would only be taking a quick shower. He’d probably slip out to have a nap somewhere while the sun was still out. He would assuredly be back later because they had plans, so Tails wasn’t bothered. He didn’t like to disrupt his brother’s midday nap if he could avoid it. Maybe he’d make his way over there and join him later.

Quick bath today. That sounded like a brilliant idea.

Tails didn’t take regular naps like his brother. But Sonic knew the cosiest spots. And a nap was always better with Sonic by his side.

So he tried to rush through his bath. The paint didn’t want to come out of his fur though. He had to scrub with his claws because the pigment was just clinging to his fluff. His tails were the worst too, all the fur sticking together in colourful clumps. And he had to feel out the top of his head, just praying he got it all. The minty soap he had helped a little but it was still caked in there. It was so annoying. But if Tails could change anything about this day so far, he wouldn’t alter a thing. They’d had fun; this annoyance was totally worth it. Even when he had to empty out the purple-brown tinged water and refill the bath to make sure he was clean. It took him longer than he would have liked to feel completely clean again. And to clean his shoes afterwards. But now he could go seek out Sonic.

Tails had a good idea of where he’d be.

Technically, Sonic preferred the meadow during spring because of the flowers. But there were usually some summer flowers kicking around by now, so it wouldn’t be empty grass. There was also a patch of sunflowers near the edge of the meadow and they should be in full bloom. Sonic’s all time favourites. They were those really big ones too, the kind that were bigger than your hand. Sonic had just been talking about it, so it was clearly on his mind. It was a smart place to start, all things considered.

The first place he checked when he got to the meadow was by the sunflowers. Tails really knew his brother. Sure enough, there he was, curled on his side under them like a spikey blue pebble. He was half-hidden by the grass which was left to grow as it pleased. Part of why Sonic loved this area, so untouched by human and mobian alike. Tails pretty much only ever saw Sonic here, sometimes with Cream. A wild meadow hidden away in the also rarely trodden on grounds of the Mystic Ruins. Which was the main reason they’d built their house in the area too. Out of the way and quiet, they were very unlikely to be bothered here. It certainly kept the paparazzi away since they didn’t make their location public. Who would come all the way out to the middle of nowhere if they didn’t have a reason to?

Tails was careful where he stepped as he made his way over to his brother. Doubtlessly, Sonic would hear him coming way in advance but he didn’t want to crash through all the flowers and make a ton of noise either. The fox respected the flowers because Sonic did. Though he was not completely enraptured with them he could appreciate their beauty and their importance to his brother.

Sonic cracked open an eye as Tails approached. That groggy emerald eye watched him for a moment. Tails stalled. It was always a crapshoot on whether or not Sonic would appreciate company. If Sonic didn’t want him near, he’d have no objections to sharing the meadow of course; there was enough room. It was just a personal space thing that Sonic could still be iffy about at times. Tails understood this. So he waited for an indication of which mood his brother was in.

The hedgehog held open his arms after a beat.

An invitation. One Tails happily took. Scurrying forwards, Tails dropped to the grass. Napping next to Sonic and napping with Sonic were different. The latter didn’t happen massively often. It made Tails feel all warm and fuzzy. Curling up into Sonic’s chest, he felt those arms wrap around him. Sonic shifted slightly, a puff of air leaving him through his nose. Tails snuggled closer. The hedgehog smelled like his honey soap and shea butter quill shampoo. And grass. It was a subtly bright, sweet scent. Baby blue eyes closed, listening to the steady beat of Sonic’s heart. So cosy.

The frequent naps were odd at first. But ultimately, they made sense. With all the activity – hyperactivity really – that Sonic fit into every day, Miles supposed he needed a way to recharge. He could never prove that was the reason and he wouldn’t ask. It may have just been because Sonic liked napping. There didn’t always have to be anything more to it than that. That’s what Miles had been trying to teach himself.

People were more complicated than machinery. You could take an engine apart, separate its pieces and learn how it worked, but people were more… nuanced and varied. Especially Sonic. Trying to get a read on him was difficult at times.

Sonic was coiled up under the lower supporting plane of the Tornado. Shielded from the sun. It wasn’t a particularly hot day but the sun was quite harsh; in the shade it was actually quite cool. Miles inched closer, hoping to settle beside the hedgehog. He sat down. Sonic turned to look over his shoulder at him, one eye half-open. There was a moment of pause. Then he grunted, rolling back and tucking his nose under his hand. His back was to Miles. Bad sign.

Sonic wanted to be alone.

Little four year old – nearly five – Miles did not take offense to this. He knew Sonic needed his space sometimes. The kit suspected Sonic was still getting used to his presence. A twang of guilt always surfaced when he thought about it. Sonic had never intended to keep Miles around, he knew. It had been one of those things that just… happened. The hedgehog had never said anything – because he couldn’t – but Miles was sure the initial plan was to take him to a village. But at the edge of the first village they’d come to, Sonic had hesitated. Looking from the buildings to the fox and back again, Sonic’s eyes had hardened and he’d dragged Miles away instead. There was a certain look in his eye that had been hard to place at the time.

Miles knew it down as distrust. He didn’t know why though. He’d tried asking about it once and Sonic had just stared at him for an uncomfortably long time. They didn’t have a very effective way of communicating yet, though Miles had been teaching him to read and write. And he was getting good at that because he learned things so quickly. Sonic hadn’t even tried to go for the notebook they kept for such situations though. They’d been trying to learn sign language recently, but it was new to them still and a little slow going, so that was a no-go too. Sonic just stared at him until he shook his head dismissively.

The only thing Miles had picked up on since that point was that Sonic avoided the villages on West Side Island. Avoided them like a pond or lake. Like the sea.

He never did find out why.

The little fox ended up lying in the grass on the opposite side of the Tornado. Sonic rose his head, looked at him from underneath the biplane, emerald eyes unreadable. But he didn’t roll over onto his other side, didn’t block Miles out again, so the fox assumed he was in the clear. He was far enough away for the hedgehog to be comfortable but Sonic still wanted to know he was there. He’d take it.

The hedgehog stretched out and then coiled all his limbs back. He settled down again, eyes closing. Sonic always seemed content when he was napping.

When Tails blinked open his eyes a little while later, Sonic had buried his nose in the side of Tails’ head, forehead pressed against the fox’s temple. He watched Sonic’s face for a while out the corner of his eye. Peaceful. Every breath he let out drifted over the fox’s collar bone, slow and even and a little warm. He was afraid to move, of disturbing the hedgehog. It wasn’t entirely rare for Tails to wake up first when they were like this; he didn’t nap as often and so usually didn’t drift off too far for too long. But he also knew Sonic was hardly ever conked out. Not when he napped and not when he slept either. Only if he was exhausted, sick or injured. Sometimes on off days but not typically. And even with all those, it was never a guarantee.

Sonic was almost always on high alert.

The slightest movement could disturb him. But if he wasn’t ready to get up yet, Tails didn’t want to rush the hedgehog. Besides, he was perfectly happy cuddled up next to him here. He could and would stay as long as Sonic needed.

When a butterfly landed on Sonic’s ear a few minutes later, he started, opening his eyes. The little white and orange butterfly fluttered away. After checking he was awake first, Sonic untangled himself from Tails and sat up. He held out his hand and allowed the butterfly to rest on his finger instead. He turned to grin at the fox. He always did have a way with wildlife. It was like all creatures were drawn to him. Butterflies, flickies, pockies, chao. All of them. If the butterfly had landed on Tails instead and he’d jumped, it would have moved on by now. But this one didn’t with Sonic.

Because he was special.

Special in a way not even science could hope to explain. There was no quantifying Sonic, no categorising or classifying. He didn’t fit into any algorithms. He was just Sonic. A nebulous, mystifying thing that Tails may never fully understand. And that was ok.

Sonic and Tails sat side by side for a time, just watching the butterfly crawl about Sonic’s glove. Their shoulders were brushing against each other. Sonic was sitting with one leg bent up, the over folded under him, one hand on the floor behind him, the forearm of his other arm supported by his upright knee. Tails was just cross-legged, hands tucked away in his lap. One of his tails had snaked around Sonic’s back; the hedgehog either didn’t notice or didn’t mind. After a moment, Sonic leaned his head on Tails’ shoulder, eyes locked on the pretty little insect. He was still smiling. Because as much as nature seemed to love him, he held an equal amount of admiration for it too. Even the smallest detail entranced him sometimes. And despite what a lot of their friends, hell what the world thought, Sonic wasn’t all speed.

Sonic was also very good at taking things slow. Only when he wanted to. Forcing a quiet moment like this on the hedgehog would not go over well. They had to happen naturally, on his terms. If he hadn’t been in the mood, he would have left the butterfly to do its own thing. But today was a slow day. Which made hanging out with Sonic last so much longer. It meant they could do things like having breakfast together, painting the Tornado, sitting here in the meadow.

Not that he couldn’t ordinarily hang out with Sonic if he wasn’t busy. But other days would be more fast-paced with activities that were more involved. Racing with Extreme Gear or hunting down Eggman robots, exploring uncharted areas or seeking something ambiguously fun. Those days were just as lovely too, in a different way. Painting the Tornado was none of those things. It wasn’t fun. At least, not alone. Together, they’d made it something else, had found their own fun. Had goofed off without having to worry about actual consequences. Their fur hadn’t mattered, the floor of the workshop hadn’t mattered. Because it wasn’t really about the biplane. It was about them.

Sonic lifted his hand, encouraging the butterfly to fly off. Then he stretched his arms above his head. Tails got to his feet, shaking out his fur. Sonic hopped up not long after, copying the same motion. Though really, Tails supposed he’d picked up that little mannerism from the blue hedgehog in the first place. So, on a technicality, he’d copied Sonic.

“Wanna swing by Station Square to order our chili dogs?” Sonic asked. “Not really in the mood to cook and we don’t have cheese or jalapeños anyway.”

Truthfully, Tails had been thinking the same thing anyway. Unless Sonic had insisted on making them himself – which were always the best – he didn’t want to make Sonic cook on his birthday. Tails could make chili but not particularly well and it did take long time from scratch. And tinned chili just didn’t feel right for today. But getting them from the best hotdog vendor in Station Square? Now that sounded better.

They weren’t Sonic’s favourite. He had a few truthfully, not particularly picky depending on his mood. A place in Empire City came pretty close to being the top. But his all time favourite was probably the one that, surprisingly, came from a little pub in Spagonia. Really though, Sonic had a preferred spot in every major city and town. Even in some villages. And he loved finding new places to try. But Station Square was closest, confirming Tails’ observation of the desire for a slow day.

Tails nodded.

They took a meandering stroll, in no real rush to get to the city. Sonic walked with his arms folded behind his head. Tails matched his step. They didn’t really talk about anything specific, or much at all. Just enjoying each other’s company in comfortable silence. Listening to the flickies sing away up in the boughs. It was a truly beautiful afternoon. Bright and sunny, not too hot with a light breeze. Some minimal cloud cover, allowing them pick out shapes and nonsense patterns, but still way more than enough blue sky breaking through to be pretty. All the clouds were foamy like steamed milk and paper-white, promising more good weather going forward. They were practically glowing under the sun. Tails was glad – if it had been raining today he would have been so frustrated. Sonic hated rain, always made him a little low and heightened the chance of an off day. Having an off day on his birthday would have been awful. Even if Sonic wouldn’t have known the difference.

He deserved a good day. A nice, slow, relaxed day where the only things that went “wrong” were some good-natured ribbing and a little friendly tussle with paint on the garage floor.

The two brothers made it to the city without issue. It didn’t take them long to track down the hotdog vendor, who often changed locations throughout the city. She was in the park today. Even better. Their orders were the same as always; the lady who owned the cart knew them very well by now, so they didn’t even need to ask. Fully loaded with chili and cheese for both. Tails always had a hefty amount of extra cheese added to his. Sonic had sliced jalapeños because he liked his spice.

Picking a bench in a quiet part of the park, Sonic and Tails sat down to enjoy their food. He watched Sonic practically inhale his chili dog in three bites, looking to be in pure bliss. Tails offered to get Sonic another one but the hedgehog declined. He had finished a whole plate of pancakes and half a bowl of pasta already today. With the chili dog added, that was quite a lot for Sonic, to be perfectly honest. Despite how much his metabolism probably screamed for it, his brother didn’t always eat a whole lot most days. It was something that he’d always done, for as long as the fox had known him. Though that didn’t really make it ok. Tails had tried to change that once, tried to insist he eat more. But Sonic maintained that it wasn’t an issue and so he would not push any further. Instead, the fox had switched to making sure he ate at least once a day instead. As long as he was eating something these days, Tails just had to be satisfied with that.

It didn’t escape his notice that food was never exchanged equally.

Miles had known the older hedgehog for only a month. And he’d noticed. Every time he brought it up, Sonic just shook his head. At first it hadn’t bothered the little fox. But then it kept happening. Every. Time. And it was much harder to ignore. So eventually, Miles stopped ignoring it. But afterwards, he’d sort of wished he had…

“Sonic?” the kit asked. “Do you want the rest of this?”

The hedgehog turned to look at him. Green eyes locked on to the halved coconut in Miles’ outstretched hands. The second half, really. Miles had already eaten the first one – the shell of which had since been discarded onto the fire. This piece should have been Sonic’s. He’d only taken two little nibbles of it before he’d passed it off to Miles. He may have been young but Miles understood the importance of food and how his little body felt when he didn’t get any for a long time. Sonic’s body was bigger, so his brain determined that Sonic should also be eating more, if not the same amount. But he ate less. That couldn’t be right. Could it?

Sonic shook his head, just like he always did. He put his hand on Miles’ and lightly pushed the coconut back to him. Miles just frowned.

“Aren’t you hungry?” he asked.

Another shake.

“But… you didn’t even eat any of it.”

This time, it was a nod. The sort of insistent nod that seemed to mean, “Yes, I did.” Sonic frowned himself and the two stared each other down for a second or two. Sonic’s expressions were always… intense. Miles didn’t know how else to describe them. It was like every little emotion was bumped up tenfold for the hedgehog. His smiles were wider, frowns deeper, every look and action overly exaggerated. And then there was his resting face, which threw it all off. Just the blankest, most blanky-blank stare ever. It was almost unnerving sometimes but Miles had gotten used to it over the last couple weeks.

Still, sometimes, he couldn’t help but shift uncomfortably under that unrelenting stare though. His eyes unwavering, body frighteningly still for the usually restless hedgehog. But he’d have moments like that all the time. Bubbly and active one moment and then just suddenly so very still. It was like he had no in-between.

“No you didn’t,” Miles said. “Why do you do that?”

Those eyes hardened and Miles flinched. Sonic huffed, turning away sharply. The hedgehog stood and busied himself with digging through his backpack instead. It was resting on the wing of Sonic’s really cool plane.

She was a little rusty and the engine coughed like it was sick, but Tails had never seen a plane up close before the Tornado. And Sonic was super cool, therefore everything he owned was too. That’s just how it worked; Miles didn’t make the rules. But he wouldn’t question them either. Despite her poor condition, Sonic clearly loved his plane. He just didn’t know how to handle the upkeep because he wasn’t very machine-savvy. But that was ok because he had Miles now and Miles had always been good with technology. He was never sure why. The fox had picked up reading very easily and with that came a plethora of fascinating things. He’d just always liked learning. And creating stuff.

Sonic seemed to think that was cool. That he knew so many things. Even though he was younger, Sonic thought he was cool.

But Sonic seemed to be ignoring him now. Like he was unhappy with Miles pointing out that he’d barely eaten a thing. And Miles didn’t like that. His ears lowered. Absently, he fiddled with the tufty edges of one of his tails. He’d messed up, that much he understood from Sonic’s moody dismissal. Miles didn’t understand why though. Why what he’d said had been so upsetting to the older one. And with that uneasy confusion, Miles just wanted to be less confused.

“S-Sonic?” Miles mumbled.

The blue hedgehog’s ear flicked. He didn’t turn around. Both ears returned forwards and Sonic hopped up onto what Miles believed was called the upper supporting plane of the Tornado. The hedgehog sat with his back to Miles, staring out at the rolling hills of the valley rising up around their little camp. At some point, he turned briefly to across the other side of the wing, then shrugged and returned his gaze to the hills. When Miles tried again a few minutes later, Sonic’s ears didn’t even move.

Sonic never spoke, which was fine, but he always listened. So when the hedgehog purposefully chose to tune him out and pretend like he wasn’t there, Miles felt something wither in his chest.

It was the first time he’d learnt that harsh lesson. That pushing Sonic was always a bad thing. The hedgehog didn’t do well with personal stuff. The slightest push and Sonic just seemed to shut down completely.

There was no restart button that Miles could find.

They stayed out long enough to watch the sunset.

Though they’d long since drifted out of the city by then because of the streetlights. Sonic sped them the rest of the way home so they could watch the sun from there. Sitting on the roof of their house, staring up at the rose-tinted sky, was always a lovely end to the day. Tails didn’t often get to enjoy this view because he frequently lost track of time when tinkering in his workshop. Sometimes, he’d be up well past midnight and Sonic had to physically drag him away to his room. He always put up a fuss, mostly because Sonic didn’t have a bedtime himself. He wasn’t that much older. Though the fox probably should watch the time more often. For views like this, certainly. But also because it was healthy to get at least eight hours of sleep. If he went to bed a little earlier, he wouldn’t waste so much daylight either. And maybe held be up alongside Sonic more often without needing an alarm.

The clouds had thinned out a lot. All that remained were those thinner clouds, like regular dotted lines. Altocumulus, Tails believed. Tails said they looked like ripples in the sand of a beach.

“Blossoms,” Sonic mumbled.

“Huh?”

Tails glanced at his brother. Sonic was staring straight up, more so at the clouds than the sunset. The light from the sun was reflected in his eyes. Speaking of blossoms, it made his pupils look like flowers, each surrounded by a ring of leaves. His emerald eyes really popped in this light. His fur was tinted with lilac, muzzle looking a much warmer colour in comparison. Sonic’s eyes slid to look at him, head still pointed up. Both his knees were drawn up under his chin, one arm slung across them. The other was steadying him against the shingles on the roof. He looked somewhere between his normal, silly self and… sort of ghostly.

“They’re pink though. Like scattered blossoms.”

Tails hummed in agreement. He liked Sonic’s description more. They were rather sparse lines. And the colour was spot on. He could definitely see what the hedgehog meant. Sonic hummed himself. He was thinking. Tails waited patiently for him to decide if he’d share it.

“Or… cherry blossom petals on one of those zen gardens maybe. Like they’re all resting in the dips between the ridges in the sand.”

Tails smiled softly. Sonic was looking back towards the sky already. Figures he’d try and combine their analogies. Sonic was the kind of guy who liked making everyone feel included. The fox’s guess was that he’d felt bad about stepping over Tails’ comment. Which was ridiculous but exactly how he’d probably be thinking. As always, Tails would not say anything about it though. Don’t bring attention to it, pretend he didn’t notice. Ultimately, it would make Sonic feel less crappy about it, so it was all for the best.

As the pink transitioned to a burning orange, Tails settled back. Both his hands were out behind him, legs bent to the side. His namesakes flicked idly against the roof. The air was cooling somewhat already but it was still pleasant enough. His fur was thick, blocking out the breeze as it picked up into more of a proper wind. The shingles had been absorbing the sun’s heat, so his spot was still toasty otherwise. Sonic’s quills swayed and he made a little pleased sound in the back of his throat. He held his arms out either side of him, enjoying the feeling. Tails joined him. But the sky was rapidly changing now, sun disappearing behind the trees. The hedgehog sighed in disappointment when the brilliant orange faded into a dull burn. Sonic always said that there was variation in the sky. Some days, he liked the mysterious flare of early twilight. Other days, like today, he complained that the sky was sort of dull in this brief stage between sunset and night. It would be gone in minutes, but Sonic was dissatisfied by the sky today.

Tails still thought it looked fine. But Sonic was practically a connoisseur of the skies. He actually preferred the end of the sunset when there was more cloud cover; they always got darker much faster, adding a shocking contrast. At least, that’s what Sonic said. It just looked like more pretty colours to Tails.

Sonic nudged his arm.

“I’m heading back inside. You comin’ with?”

Tails nodded. He’d rather be with Sonic than watch the stars tonight. Though he was surprised Sonic himself wasn’t in a stargazing mood.

It was late now though. So he was even more confused at why Sonic wasn’t badgering him to go to bed yet. He usually would be. Maybe he was just in a lenient sort of mood because he was relaxed. Tails wouldn’t question it. He flew down to the garden, landing on the dirt path up to the front door. Looking up at the roof, Tails caught the end of Sonic’s departure back into the house. He swung off the edge of the roof and into his bedroom window. Tails shook his head, choosing to go in through the actual door.

They hadn’t needed to say anything to know they were reconvening in the living room. Tails sunk onto the settee when he got there. Sonic pattered down the stairs quietly a moment later.

Wide awake as they were, Tails suggested they watch a movie. Just some action flick with a mediocre plot and over the top actions sequences. Something they could half pay attention to and tear apart mercilessly. As two mobians who knew real, genuine danger intimately, these movies were hilarious. Obviously fake punches and kicks, unnecessary backflips and parkour segments – though Sonic was partial to those himself because they were fun, they just didn’t add much to actual combat – silly chases with physics that just didn’t make sense. Oh, and the explosions. So unrealistic. They could just laugh and rewind, squished together under a blanket on the settee. Their favourite late-night pastime.

It was here where Tails listened to Sonic’s laughs grow quieter, drift further apart and trail off. Where he heard his heart slow to a gentle rhythm. Where he saw his chest rise and fall, his breaths even out and slow down. Where he felt Sonic’s weight sag heavier on his side, felt his head loll into his shoulder. Sonic’s arm was draped around Tails’ back. He’d been hugging him close a few moments ago but now his grip was slack.

Tails shifted until his muzzle was nestled up in the crook of Sonic’s neck.

“Happy birthday, Sonic,” Tails mumbled into his royal blue fur.

It was safe; his brother was long gone in dreamland. Unusual but not really a surprise. Sonic hadn’t been sleeping well as of late. He thought Tails didn’t know. But he did. His brother deserved a proper rest, safe in the comfort of his own home with his most trusted person by his side. And Tails knew that wasn’t presumptuous or egotistical, it was a fact. The feeling was mutual. He was very close with Knuckles and knew all their friends were perfectly capable, but Tails would trust no one more so than Sonic with his life. He’d saved the fox when they first met, when they were total strangers. Now that they shared a bond as strong as theirs, Tails knew Sonic would always be there.

Realistically, he knew that wasn’t exactly true. And Tails did not expect Sonic to drop everything for him all the time. To be there when things went bad without fail. Tails did not want him to, or for him to feel like he had to; Sonic was very busy and had so many things to divide his attention, especially these days. The fox accepted that and was a peace with that fact. Because though he could never hope to be as powerful as Sonic, he could still hold his own. But when he needed a helping hand, whether in person or in spirit, Sonic would always be there beside him.

He’d learnt everything he knew of survival from Sonic. How to fight, forage for food, make sure water was safe to drink. How to know when a situation was too much for him to handle on his own. How to accept that it was ok to need help. And even if those last two were hard for Sonic himself to grasp, Tails would make sure he was there for the hedgehog too. Because they were brothers.

And that’s just what brothers did.

Tails felt himself drift off beside Sonic with that thought in his mind. He was glad for that chance meeting all those years ago. Glad for Sonic’s weird reaction by the village that allowed him to stay by his side. And he was glad, most of all, to be his brother.