Chapter Text
Sonic had missed the weather forecast, too busy bashing buzz bombers and motobugs to have bothered to turn on the radio. The sky had been clear that morning anyway, not a trace of a single raindrop let alone the tell-tale static of a storm. Boy was he kicking himself now though.
From the mouth of the closest cave they could find, Sonic watched the torrential downpour completely drench the wooded zone outside. The rainfall was heavy enough that it looked like he could reach out and part it like a curtain. Though the incessant sound of it against the rocks was deafening, somehow the rain still wasn't enough to drown out what was worse.
Lightning lit up the blackened sky, casting shadows that reached deep down into the depths of the cave before a sharp clap of thunder echoed after it. Sonic could feel the sound in his chest, wincing as a softer, barely muffed sob still managed to reach all the way into his heart. Rubbing his fist against it, he turned away from the cave's opening to look back at the trembling ball of fur huddled amongst the rocks. Like the storm was something he could hide from, like a bully or a badnik, so it wouldn't hurt him.
And maybe he could hide. He could hide and stay safe and dry inside the shelter of this cave, no danger daring to reach its way in here to grab him by the scruff. The storm wouldn't hurt him here.
But that didn't stop it from scaring him.
Sonic crept further into the cave, crouching down beside Tails to rifle through his backpack. "Gonna have to run a bit farther than I thought if I've got any chance of finding some firewood that's not completely soaked through, keed. You just stay put, and I'll be back in the bat of an eye—"
"What?" Tails's voice wobbled from how tense every part of him was, even his vocal cords pulled tight. "N-no, I'll come with you!"
"It'll be faster if I just go on my own. You'll get completely waterlogged out there in this rain. Not to mention you're jumpier than I am at Spring Yard Zone," Sonic argued, fishing out his flashlight and flicking it on. "Here. Hold onto this for me, and I'll be right back."
"No!" Tails wailed, uncurling just enough to latch onto Sonic's arm, claws digging in through his gloves like he was trying to anchor himself to him.
"Tails, buddy, you'll feel a lot better with something to warm ya up and give us a bit of light," Sonic assured him, sucking in a sharp breath between his teeth as the claws sank in a little deeper. "Easy—! Easy there, c'mon. You'll be safe in here 'til I get back, I promise."
"No, I promise! I-I won't be any trouble. Take me with you. I wanna go with you!" Tails insisted, practically wrapping himself around Sonic's arm.
Sonic exhaled a short huff through his nose. "Okay, now you and I both know that's not true. The last thing you want is to be back out in that storm. Heck, it's the last thing I want." That seemed to catch Tails's attention, so Sonic rolled with it. "I'll feel a whole lot better knowing you're safe and dry in here than getting soaked out there with me. So whaddya say, squirt? Can you do me a solid here?"
Tails stared up at him, wide eyes ice cold when the light glinted off them, too bright when his pupils were like pin pricks. Thunder rumbled through the cave's walls with its loud, long bellow. Sonic had never been afraid of thunderstorms himself, but even he had to acknowledge that they could sound and feel pretty scary when they wanted to. Not unlike the thunderous crashing of bombs on a war-torn island.
Sonic set down the flashlight between them, his newly freed hand rubbing over one of Tails's to get him to loosen his grip, carefully prying the claws from his skin. Tails watched him with his too-bright eyes, his little chest heaving with the shallowest of breaths, but he didn't stop Sonic. Instead he curled his claws inward, biting into his own palm as his paws clenched into tight fists. Sonic frowned. That wasn't any better.
"Please—" The tiniest little croak had Sonic's ears twitching, eyes darting from Tails's hands to meet his gaze again. "Please don't go."
The way his voice cracked under the strain of forcing out what would normally be a simple request from literally any other child gave Sonic pause. It broke apart into something voiceless, like he was losing it. Because what good was a voice if no one even listened?
"We could really use a fire, bud," he tried again, but Tails was already shaking his head, fully mute as the next flash of lightning forced his eyes shut and his tails to fluff out in fear.
Sonic glared out the mouth of the cave with a tch. Perfect timing.
When Sonic shifted, Tails's eyes snapped back open, half-expecting him to have vanished into the storm. Rolling his eyes, Sonic flicked him on the tip of his nose, then resumed rifling through the backpack. He tugged out a towel, then unwrapped their bundled up blankets from where they were strapped to the outside. The towel was laid out flat over the ground, like a carpet to insulate them from the cold floor. With a snappy flourish, Sonic draped one of the blankets over Tails's head, biting back a snicker when his ears flicked up and down beneath it. Sonic reached out and adjusted it so it was more like a hood, so he could see his face directly in front of him, but his peripherals were blocked by the blanket. Nudging him onto the towel, Sonic scooted up next to him, blocking his view of the mouth of the cave as much as he could. The second blanket was wrapped around both of their shoulders, covering them both easily when they sat hip to hip.
Tails blinked up at him, paralyzing fear giving way to curious confusion. "You're not gonna go?"
Sonic shrugged, setting the flashlight at their feet in lieu of a campfire. "You asked me not to." The white fur across the bridge of his snout scrunched up as he turned that thought over in his busy brain, like he couldn't comprehend that it was as simple as that. "Don't overthink it, big guy," he added with a chuckle.
It didn't clear away the confusion from clouding his face, his mouth still set in a pensive sort of frown, but the next flash of lightning pushed him closer as he hid his face against Sonic's side. Chest rumbling with laughter much softer and warmer than the approaching thunder, Sonic let him hide as he looked at their surroundings. There wasn't much to this little shelter they'd found themselves in; Sonic's only requirements being out of the wet and away from the lightning.
One ear flicked down as his tail gave an annoyed twitch, a small enough jerk and tucked against the wall so that Tails couldn't see it, thankfully, but he knew it was only a matter of time before his foot would start impatiently tapping away or his fingers would be compelled into an incessant, inane patter against his own leg. Sonic just hadn't quite been prepared to settle in for the night. It wasn't even that late, despite the darkness that shrouded the afternoon sky.
Hopefully the storm would calm down by dinner. They really would need a fire going for that. The warmth would also help encourage him to get a nap in—though that was probably unlikely with the way Tails flinched and trembled against his side like an engine being jumped with each spark of lightning.
After a few minutes of listening to the rain steadily drumming on, a brief reprieve from the chaos in the clouds, Tails spoke up again, "I'm sorry."
"Hm?" Sonic's inquisitive hum made Tails's ear twitch as the light vibration tickled it.
"For being so scared."
The mumble was almost drowned out by the rain, but the kid's own shame kept it afloat enough for Sonic to still hear. "Ya don't have to say sorry 'bout that. This storm took us by surprise and we didn't have much time to hunker down. Makes sense you'd be a bit out of sorts for it."
Tails shook his head. His shoulders hunched up, so brittle with tension, Sonic half-expected his bones would shatter from the slightest tap to his arm. He watched as the kid tensed up, his little fangs sinking into his lower lip when he bit back his own cries as the next crash of thunder rattled the cave walls around them. He placed a hand at the small of Tails's back; his touch hopefully high enough above his twin tails and light enough that it wouldn't spook him more. He rubbed along the nodules of his spine through the blanket to encourage some of that tension to bleed out and let him breathe.
"I just wish I was brave like you," Tails finally choked out. "I just wanna be brave…"
Sonic blinked, hand stilling for a second before he felt the kid try to curl up even tighter, then resumed his easy petting. "You're braver than you give yourself credit for, keed. You proved that much the moment we met!"
"...I did?" Tails's voice was so small, so hesitant, but there was the tiniest flicker of hope and curiosity that always seemed to propel the little guy forward.
"Sure did. I mean, dontcha remember?"
Tails picked at the end of one of his tails, hunching up into an even tighter ball. "Mm-mm."
Sonic's brows rose high on his forehead. "Wait, really?"
"Is that bad?"
"No, no it's not bad." Sonic quickly stopped that train of thought at the station. "I guess I don't remember much back from when I was a little kid either."
"You were a kid before?" Tails blinked up at him, the blanket slipping back a bit as one curious ear perked up and poked out. "Like me?"
Sonic grinned and gave it a flick. "Yeah, I was a kid like you! Everyone starts out as keeds, keed. That's how we all grow up."
"Oh. I guess that kinda makes sense."
"'You guess,'" Sonic snorted. "First you don't even remember meeting me, and then you doubt my undisputable wisdom."
"Indisputable," Tails corrected.
"Whatever. I'm hurt," he teased, pressing his hand to his chest like he'd been pierced straight through. "I thought what we had was special, Tails."
That got a couple of giggles out of him, a huge win considering the circumstances. "Sorry, Sonic. It just sorta feels like you've always been around and I don't try real hard to remember what it was like before that. I don't like it." His brow pinched together as a thought occurred to him. "Guess I'm scared of that, too…"
That sobered Sonic up some, an actual pain twinging somewhere in his chest now. "Well, that's okay, little pal. The past is in the past. All that matters is the here and now. And right here, right now, I'm gonna tell ya all about the time I met the bravest little fox I'd ever seen. If you're interested. Something tells me you could kinda use the distraction."
Tails shivered as another flash of lightning lit up the cave, nodding hastily as he cuddled closer. Sonic looped an arm around his shoulders, letting the weight of his presence ground the kid a bit. While neither of them weren't all that keen about being held onto or held down normally, whenever Tails was scared, a little bit of contact like this seemed to reassure him.
"The first time we met, I was just doing what I do best," Sonic started, leaving a small pause for audience interaction.
"Going fast?" Tails chirped.
"You got it."
Sonic the Hedgehog was running through the dense jungle surrounding a little place called Emerald Hill Zone. He'd been on a mission—well, two missions, actually. The first was scanning for any of Robotnik's badnik patrols so he could track that old egghead down and make him regret ever setting foot on West Side Island. The second mission was to locate a town where he could pick up some parts for his plane.
As he was running—a blur of blue faster than most eyes could see—he stopped when all of a sudden he heard…
"When you heard what?" Tails asked, blinking curiously when Sonic's brain finally caught up with his mouth.
Mind spinning in place like he was having trouble buffering, Sonic stared blankly at his little buddy, his previous words smacking him in the head over and over. I don't try real hard to remember. I don't like it. Well, yeah, who would like being reminded of being beat up by a bunch of bullies? Strung up by his tails like a piñata and beaten with a stick.
The memory was enough to boil Sonic's blood, even if the moment had long since passed and was firmly locked up in his own past. Tails didn't need reminding of any of that stuff, especially when the point Sonic was trying to prove was how brave the little guy had been afterwards, choosing to follow a stranger when all his instincts and experiences had to have been screaming at him not to trust anyone. Not to believe in anyone.
The point of this story was to make Tails feel better. If Sonic left out a couple details, it wouldn't be the end of the world. He much preferred just getting to the point of things anyway.
"When I heard what sounded like footsteps, trying to follow me." Sonic grinned, reclining lazily against the wall and tugging Tails back to lean against him. "Now you know nothing nowhere is as fast as me, right bud?"
"Right, Sonic!"
"And while these footsteps weren't as fast as mine, they were still pretty darn fast." Sonic winked.
Sonic didn't stop, nothing ever stopped him once he got a good speed going, but he stayed aware. Alert. Listening to the sounds of the jungle to check if he'd lost whoever had been trying to tail him. Many people over the years had tried to keep up with his speed, tried outrunning him even, but no one had ever come close. And by this point, Sonic was convinced no one ever would.
But every time he thought he'd left this mysterious person in the dust, he'd hear them again, determined to track him down. Curious and a little impressed—though he'd never admit it—Sonic slowed down just enough to try and catch the guy in the act. Who could possibly be brave enough to dare to try and keep pace with the Sonic the Hedgehog?
He had to say, he was pretty surprised when he caught a glimpse of what was maybe the coolest kid he'd ever seen…
"And he had two big, bushy fox tails that let him fly!" Sonic gave Tails a big squeeze, adding two playful pokes to his side to punctuate each tail.
Tails squeaked and squirmed, trying to hold Sonic's hand in place, but otherwise making no move to escape as he giggled. "It was me!"
"Now, hold on a Sonic Second, little guy. How do you know it wasn't some other too-cool fox with two tails who was tracking me down?" Sonic snickered.
The most unimpressed look he'd ever seen from a kid was leveled at him, threatening to send Sonic into his own giggle fit.
"Okay, fine. Ya got me. It was you." Sonic shifted his hold on Tails so he could drag him in for a noogie, ruffling up the fur atop his head through the blanket. "I know, I know. Saying he was the coolest kid ever kinda gave it away."
"So I was following you?" Tails pressed. "How come?"
"'Cuz why wouldn't you want to follow someone as fast and cool as me?" Sonic winked, laughing when Tails bunted his head into him. "No, but seriously, that was why. You were interested in me and in the way I stopped those buh—bad guys. Badniks and stuff. You were curious. And brave enough to not let any of your big old worries get in the way of finding out more about me."
"But what if I was just following you 'cuz I was scared and knew you'd save the day?" Tails asked.
"Well, 'cuz you didn't know that. Not for a fact." Sonic shifted, sitting butterfly-style as he faced Tails, making sure to keep blocking out the mouth of the cave with his body. "Just 'cuz I was beating up bad guys didn't mean I was a nice guy, bud. And you… you hadn't had the best track record meeting nice guys."
Tails glanced down at the ground, tugging on one of his tails again. "Mm-mm."
Sonic's mouth twisted to one side. "Yeah. Figured you remembered that much."
"No one liked me," Tails mumbled. "No one wanted me around. Not ever."
"So what were the chances this strange hedgehog was gonna be different, huh?" Sonic's voice gentled.
"But you'd never be mean to anyone like that!" Tails defended, fur bristling in his best friend's honor. "You're a good guy! A hero!"
"Yeah, you know that now, buddy, but you didn't when we first met." Sonic adjusted the blanket around him, rubbing his shoulder through it. "So it was pretty brave of you to follow me and find out who I was and try to help me out. Not just any kid would do something like that. And just look at you now! You still fight badniks by my side and help me chase down Robuttnik to keep him from getting the Chaos Emeralds. That's super brave."
Tails hummed in acknowledgement, though he still didn't look entirely convinced. "You really think so?"
"Wouldn't say it if I didn't," Sonic confirmed, drawing an X over his heart. "And one seriously annoying storm's not gonna change what I think about that."
A gentle swishing sound rustled the blankets as two tails began to wag. "Thank you, Sonic."
"Thank you for being brave enough to follow me, buddy. If you hadn't, I wouldn't have found my best friend." Sonic looped his arm around him again, letting him nestle close. "And you don't gotta worry about being brave enough by yourself to face storms like this on your own. S'what you got me for, remember?"
"Uh-huh." Tails nodded, resting his cheek over Sonic's heart, listening to the steady beat in his chest as a light rumble started up in his own. "I remember."
Sonic smiled as he rubbed behind Tails's ear, the easy motion enough to satisfy his urge to fidget for the time being while the sound of his own heartbeat and his little buddy's purring distracted them both from the thunder as it started to move further away. "Better not forget it."