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Stranded. Chapter 8. the guidance of a fox

summary:the sun felt horribly hot on your face, the sand on the ground wasn't making it any better. a mix of voices with different pitches and tones ran through your head, but you couldn't process them. you gave a small grumble and furrowed your eyebrows. suddenly, the blazing heat seemed to cool off a bit, as if something, or someone has came between you. the voices became louder, clearer. and as you opened your eyes, you were met with the most unusual being.

Stranded Masterlist.

“I’m going to fucking kill you.”

Jason gulped. “I know…” he flinched when Cameron grabbed his shoulder and swatted him away, taking up the whole screen with an excited grin.

“You have to tell me everything!” he looked over the moon, as if he’d won the lottery, pen and notepad in hand with jittery excitement.

The rage you felt was monumental. Undecipherable and across the edge of your patience. You couldn’t even pay attention to Cameron, even if he was taking up over ninety percent of the screen. Your burning glare was straight at your brother, whom you entrusted to keep this big secret safe. The more you think about it, the more you grumble, taking a deep breath to calm down your nerves and not panic and fret over Louis somehow finding out.

You would try lying to him, but it’s hard to convince the guy that the very specific lost media species he was looking for are apparently the exact friends you’ve accumulated here. What were you even going to say? Hey Cameron, remember the anthropomorphic animals in mostly vibrant colors that you believed existed in ancient times?? Remember when your old high school classmate told you that the exact species had been seen by his sister? It was all an elaborate shitty prank! Jason’s just that much of a jackass! Whoops!

Even if you are terribly mad at him, you knew how much he valued others’ views on him, especially the shitty high school classmates he hung out with. The rage within you bubbles down a bit as you take a deep breath. At the very least, Cameron is one of the only decent guys within his old circle. If there’s anyone you’d want to know about this, it’s probably him. He's the one who gave you a yacht to escape for free after all, but still..the more you think about it, the more your rage turns into quiet, agonizing panic. And your blazing glare turns into one of fear as you try to muster up a response to the two guys on your screen.

“No.” You solemnly replied. “I can’t tell you anything, I’m sorry.”

The light in Cameron’s eyes dimmed, and the notepad that was held up in glee now lowered a bit with his broken-down posture. It made you feel guilty, a pit of shame rising from your heart. It pained you to do this, to ruin someone’s spark like this, but you couldn’t risk it.

“Aw, come on! at least let me see them…” Cameron insisted. “….please?”

“I mean…” Jason dared to speak up, flinching slightly as he saw your eyes narrow. “ …he already knows most things, what’s the harm in seeing it now?”

“and show off my friends like they’re some kind of freakshow?!” You felt anger surge within you; your tone may have been a bit harsher than intended. The very idea of it all made you want to scoff. It made you feel like a ringmaster in a circus, the true monster between monsters. Your frown deepened.“ I won’t be able to stomach that.”

“Oh come on, Y/n.” It was sad seeing how badly Cameron pleaded, eyes desperate and filled with hope. It made you feel guilty, somehow responsible. The one blocking his path to his biggest dream. “I promise I won’t freak out. I’ll be super respectful with my questions. And I’ll decrease the question to a uh…” he mumbled a few numbers, ones that made you blink at him in disbelief. “a few hundred, tops!”

You immediately let out an exhausted sigh, rubbing your temples in distress as you tried to think of a solution. It was obvious that Cameron wouldn’t let this go, and if he were desperate enough, he could even threaten to leak your location to your enemy. He has the motive, he has the info, and even if he believes he has the morals that’ll block him from ever committing such treason, you’ve learned it the hard way that nothing is off the table. People aren't to be trusted. Especially when they’re desperate.

“Fine, just…give me some time to think of someone…” You could already feel your nerves fraying over the idea of asking for more from your friends who've already helped you enough as it is. God, will this feeling of helplessness and pit of shame in your stomach ever leave? It made your body stiffen in slight fear as you looked at the excited and relieved idiots on your screen. A question rang in your mind like a bell. Who on earth would ever have the patience to answer some dork’s bible-sized questions?

Sonic is definitely out of the question. His frail patience would only be destroyed in a mere second of the interview. Amy just got back from her own interview at a late-night show, and she seemed to be exhausted. Sticks? Sticks would only add more questions than answers, possibly fueling the conspiracy theorist thrill that Cameron has, but also endangering everyone else around him with the paranoia that comes along with it. You almost chuckled. The idea of Sticks and Cameron talking about the existence of aliens and otherworldly beings is entertaining, but the aftermath of it will have you wishing they had never met. And Knuckles?...well, he doesn’t seem much of a knowledgeable guy when it comes to his species. Amy once told you it’s his biggest dilemma, apparently. That he doesn’t know where exactly he’s from, and why there’s only one of him on an island filled with all types of animals that have at least two other families from the same species. Even though Sticks had met other badgers from other parts of the island, she considers them more as foes than friends. something about being the ‘superior’ badger. This all leads to one person in mind. The only person who’d ever have the patience, and even excitement, of answering strangely scientific questions about his own species…

It’s as if the devil read your mind himself, and that he’s also a yellow two-tailed fox. A red airplane flies up to the summit, the wafts of air and loud noise making you mute your microphone and shut your eyes tight as you feel your hair blow with the wind. When the smell of oil filled the air, and the sound of an engine roaring came to a low growl, you finally opened your eyes and smiled as Tails came down.

“Y/n? What are you doing here?” Tails’…well, tails, flickered up and down in curiosity, his hand holding two boxes of what seemed to be test tubes and gadgets. He walked over to you with a curious frown that turned into a smile. A realization passes through his face as he notices your laptop. “Oh! " You talking to your brother?” Before you could even warn him about what he’s about to do, the sort of pinnacle of truth he’s about to reveal to a twenty-something-year-old fanatic, it was too late; his eyes had already landed on the bewildered nerd. And he smiled obliviously and waved. “Oh! Is that your friend? Wait, why are you on mute?”

A loud, excited scream erupted from the laptop, making both of you flinch as you quickly scramble to lower your volume, glaring at the screen with pained, gritted teeth.” You’re right, Tails.” You hissed, immediately turning on your mic just to spite them. “I should’ve muted these two dumbasses instead.” Cameron didn’t seem to care, as he continued to scream in pure fangirl giddiness. You groaned in embarrassment, already feeling a pit of nerves fuming as to how Tails would think of you now. This is the second time he’s meeting your human correspondents, and the third time he’s received a scream from them. This is certainly not the sort of ideal scenario you were envisioning….you were hoping you could at least warn him. Nevertheless, thank god it’s an online call and not a real-life meeting. Not only have you evaded the idea of Cameron somehow getting scientifically touchy with your friends, a very strange thought and yet possible scenario given how social etiquette is his biggest foe, but you’ve also gained the power of simply lowering his volume of enthusiasm with a mere scroll of your mouse. This idea amused you so well, in fact, that your pout turned into a feral grin as you saw Jason suffer the worst of it all, blocking his ears in sheer despair. You couldn’t help but giggle and unmute your mic.

“Serves you right,” you gloated, all while Jason merely rolled his eyes and gave you the finger. One you gave back immediately as a courtesy.

Tails eyed you two curiously before his eyes landed on Cameron with a bashful smile. “Well..uh…didn’t expect such enthusiasm…last time a human saw us they were both shrieking in horror.” You already knew the humans in question meant you and your brother.

“Well…Cameron’s not really like other humans.” You cleared your throat, unsure of how to explain his passion. “he uh…he always believed you guys were real, but no one believed him.”

“Oh!” Tails, unlike what you expected, or hell, how any normal person would react, which is sheer unomfortability and weirded out response, seemed to be gleaming with interest instead, now fully sitting down beside you, putting his boxes of gadgets aside as his double tails flickered left and right in excitement. “I never knew there would be people out there curious about us! How did you even know of our existence?”

Cameron’s jittery excitement seemed to dim down into laser-pointed focus as he sat upright in his seat, already pushing Jason away with his elbows, which Jason gave a disgruntled groan to, and brought his hands up for further demonstrations. Or perhaps, to let out his buzzing energy. “My great uncle has traveled to your island and spoke of your existence! However, due to his research not being with him when he came back, and his awful dementia alongside it, he…wasn’t really believed.”

“Well…that’s…oddly convenient.” Suspicion rose within you. This is the first time you’re hearing the origin story of Cameron’s story, since usually, when he tried to mention it, everyone around him immediately shut him up, including your brother. How on earth could someone so easily get dementia right after an insane research conduction?

Cameron’s eyes lit up at your comment, nodding his head aggressively. “I know, right?! I thought the same thing— so I decided to speak with him more, and tried my best to re-open the GPS signal in the boat he came back from, and found the locations to this place.”

Tails, who was silent the entire time, eyebrows furrowed in concentration and nipping at his gloved fingertips. A small little tick of his you hadn’t notice till now- with his twin-tails now shuffling the ground beneath you with a small sound, finally spoke. “Then why didn’t you visit?” his tone was neutral, inquisitive. His curiosity knew no bounds, not even in the personal ones. You sometimes envied that in scientists and scholars alike. The fact that social boundaries and etiquette seemed completely foreign to them. It made you hum a bit in quiet realization. Tails and Cameron may not be so different, for it seems their passion for knowledge and thirst to seek it lead them to the same headspaces. Especially since Cameron didn’t seem phased or startled by the question, merely excited by the idea of someone being interested in his research. All while you and Jason gave each other awkward glances, wondering what kind of nerd-space you somehow got dragged into.

“I wanted to! But…my family forbade me from ever doing so. They said I would be banished from the estate if I ever continued his research. I mean, it did scramble his brain when he came back, so I don’t blame them.”

Cameron’s detached comment brought about an uncomfortable silence, one that even Tails seemed to join in as he glanced at you, concerned, you glanced at Cameron, concerned, and Jason glared at Cameron in pure disbelief.

Cameron blinked normally, his brain, albeit an absolute genius when it comes to science, an absolute dimiwit when it comes to anything else, literally did not notice the fire and sheer ire in Jason’s scathing glare. He didn’t even glance back and just looked at you and Tails, confused, not sure if the silence was from a lack of stable connections or confusion.

“…but you sent my sister instead?” Jason raised the important question, the one on the tip of everyone’s tongue. “You knew this island was dangerous on all accounts, saw how crazy your uncle turned out, and still decided to send my sister there, Cameron?”

Cameron, finally feeling the tension weigh down on his shoulders and seep into his very bones, shifted uncomfortably in his seat and gave a nervous chuckle. “I mean….you did say you wanted somewhere Louis could never find her…so…”

Your body stiffened as you heard his name, eyes panicked and nervously darting to Tails, whose ears were tilted a bit down in confusion. “..Louis?” he turned to you. “Whose Louis?”

Jason and Cameron, the duo of your inevitable demise, that of which you are certain, seemed not to hear Tails' question as they continued to argue. Jason’s tense voice brought all your attention back to him. “Yeah, but you told us he came back safe and sound!”

“Well, it’s true! He was physically fine!”

“BUT NOT MENTALLY?!”

“I didn’t know that was an aspect in the conversation! Mental health never mattered in the Eclipse family!

“Isn’t dementia related to a medical field rather than mental?” Tails decided to add fuel to the fire, his innocent tone making you wonder if he even knew what he was doing.

“Exactly! The yellow fox is right-“

“Tails.” You corrected.

“Yeah, sorry, the twin-tailed fox is right.” Jason still got it wrong. You rolled your eyes in exasperation and rubbed your temples, earning a chuckle from Tails in response. Well, at least he wasn’t offended by it. “You should’ve mentioned he got dementia!”

“I told you he was different!”

“I thought you meant changed! Like- personality-wise or more paranoid- not this—“

“Does it even matter? I’m not coming back anyway!” You immediately cut through their argument, not wanting to spare a single second longer in such a meaningless debate over your safety. It stirred an uncomfortable pit within you, one that always rose whenever Jason tried to act like a protective brother. “Stop arguing about something that’ll never even happen.”

Jason wanted to reply with something diabolical, you already knew it from the way he was looking at you. scolding, a bit enraged, and deep down, profoundly worried. However, he bit his tongue before he could, eyes thankfully quicker than his mouth for once, remembering your friend beside you.

“Right…well, as I was saying-“ Cameron quickly shifted the conversation before another unbridled silence took over. Though you doubt he did it as a conscious effort to avoid awkwardness, and more to just continue where he left off in his passionate ramblings. “I always wanted to see one of you up close- if you don’t mind.." Can I ask a few… uh…” he runs through his notepad, turning page after page of scribbled questions as he looks up with a cheeky grin. “A hundred and fifteen questions?”

------

“You really don’t have to do this...”

“Nonsense!” The smell of metal and sugar wafted through the air, not too strong yet not too faint to be left ignored, as Tails chirped up in nonchalance, fingers quick in their typing on your laptop as you sat beside him in his workshop.

The embarrassingly personal interview was merely two hours ago, one that somehow drained more energy out of you than Eggman’s kidnapping a week ago. Tails took the time to multitask in his mind, answering questions while noting down the run-down state of your laptops’ systems without being noticed. By the time the call ended, he seemed to be in a zone, immediately grabbing your laptop and putting it in his airplane, telling you to wait for a bit just so he could get magma samples in his tubes.

“Wait? wait for what?” you asked, confused, unsure if you should follow him as he flew into the volcano or just stay put.

“For me to come back, silly.” He answered with a chuckle. “Then we can go to my workshop together.”

He didn’t stay any bit longer for you to get some things clarified, leaving you to just connect the dots yourself, as if it were the simplest of conclusions. When he came back and flew the airplane, you were mostly distracted by the sheer beauty of the land under you, but you hadn’t ignored his rambling about how your laptop cannot live for any longer if the systems don’t get updated soon. Some nerd talks about ‘constant overheating’ and ‘literally about to blow up with the advanced internet extension he gave it unless he updates the systems to accommodate it.’

“I should’ve considered this factor when inventing the internet module.” He snaps you back into reality, interestingly enough, thinking about the same thing you were, while your eyes kept tracing back into focus on the screen, fearing him seeing personal files somehow.” …I mean, obviously, your simple tech won’t be able to handle the modules I made for a long period of time.” You could sense a very, very subtle gloating in his tone, one that made you smirk and hold back your own snort. Sonic’s high altitudes of ego and confidence are affecting Tails, whether the effect is good or bad. You’re not sure, but you’re nevertheless amused.

“Yeah..well..it’s good to have a wiz-tech friend like you around to help.” You playfully nudged him, his tail flickered up and down enthusiastically as he tried to remain calm and collected, focusing on the task at hand with a small smile. You disliked leaving things in silence; it was never your thing. Whether it was the tense and heavy silence of dinner that made you eat as quickly as you could to bolt, or the unbearable silence left at the cold sidewalk as you mourn a lost friendship, silence was never your thing. Henceforth, you continued, “You workin’ on anything new these days, Tails?”

The fox seemed to glee a bit at that, nodded his head enthusiastically as he pointed with his hand, and unconsciously with one of his tails to a small, vacuum-looking robot next to his bed. You got up from your seat, walking up to the bot in question with a curious tilt of your head. The soothing sound of keyboard smashing ceased, and you hear Tails speak as he walks up to you.

The bot looked…cute. Small, yellow, and with two buttons on both sides of what you can only guess is a projector of sorts. “..what’s it called?” You turned your head to him. he seemed to be brimming with excitement, which made you feel a bit giddy as well. This invention must be something really cool if it’s got even its inventor excited for its unraveling.

“It’s the Village Fortifying Electromagnetic Protective Hemisphere!” You don’t know which is more embarrassing, the fact that you have a PHD and still didn’t understand jackshit of what he just said, or the fact that he named it like this.

Your confused blink was unmistakable, giving him an awkward smile and a plea in your eyes for further explanations. It was like when the teacher asks if you understood the lesson, and you nod your head even if you both know you absolutely did not.

Tails sighed, shoulders slouching a bit as he gave a small shake of his head and rolled his eyes. “It’s Dome-pocalypse.” He leans down and plays with the settings of the gadget, pointing it towards a chair a few feet away from you. “It’s basically a shield that prevents any air or ground-level attacks.”

“ohhhh.” Your brain seemed to click the puzzles together, finally understanding the scope of his feat. “That’s…actually amazing, Tails! How’d you even have the material to make this?”

Tails smiled, seemingly a bit gloatful in his tone. Not that you minded anyway. It was nice seeing him this pumped up. “ Oh, you know, I find anything I can around junkyards and old broken gadgets, sometimes though, for certain pieces I have to create them myself using different materials.”

“Is that why you collected magma rocks and lava from the volcano?” you hummed. “You needed material to create heat-resistant tech?”

Tails grinned, turning on his machine. “Exactly! A lot of my machines seemed to bust out after a while due to the heat in their engines, so I needed a good shield of sorts to protect them from overheating…it was either that or I get my hands on more advanced materials…which, in a stranded island, you can see how impossible that is.” As he rambled, the machine blared a bright purple stream, the light fortifying and encircling a giant bubble of sorts around you, all up to the small chair. Curiously, you took a piece of rock out of your pockets, a pretty one you’ve found in the summit as you walked with Tails and spotted magma rocks with him. You lightly throw it to the purple wall, having it immediately get tossed back at you and hit your eye.

“fucking hell-ow!”

The blare of pain was tremendously annoying; however, Tails’ snort of laughter made you forget about the intensity of it and only hiss in pain and grin mischievously at him instead. “Thanks for worrying.” You scoffed, your tone sarcastic yet somewhat amused. Tails seemed to laugh harder at that, hiding his chortle behind his hands.

“I’m sorry—it was just--- so stupid-“ he breaks into another snicker, and you lightly punch him in the shoulder with a chuckle of your own. You rubbed your eye to soothe the pain, grumbling a bit as a few teardrops sprang out.

“This is amazing, Tails.” You tried to steer the conversation away with honest admiration. “You’ve really done something great here….this sort of tech would make millions in my world,” and possibly end or influence more wars. It depended on the country in question, which, in Earth’s case, the majority would be the latter.

“Thanks! I really hope it has a chance against Eggman...maybe then the team could finally relax without having their week ruined by another attack.” The comment intrigued you for a moment, but before you could initiate a further conversation about his worries, a gust of wind flew past you, a zapping electricity nibbling your feet. It’s only when the confidant, somehow cheeky and arrogant-tinted voice of a blue speedy you favored out of all the speedsters was heard, you jolted in shock.

“Why are you two admiring a vacuum?”

You rolled your eyes at his chuckle that soon followed, scoffing as you turned around and gave him a smirk. “Why are you always sneaking up on people?!”

Sonic merely chuckled back, shrugging as he crossed his arms, leaning on the table. “Hey, I don’t sneak up on just everyone, I just sneak up on you,” he grinned. “And I do it because you’re fun to scare.”

“So you admit that you’re a bit of a bully?” his grin seemed to widen at your retort, and you had to hold yourself back from smiling as well, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of your begrudging enjoyment.

Tails, ever the peacemaker, rolled his eyes at you two and clicked a button on his machine, turning off the shield and flying to your bully mutual friend with his twin tails. “What brings you here, Sonic?”

The blue hedgehog seemingly brightened up at the question, yet he immediately froze, mouth turning agape as his eyes landed back on you again, and he sputtered, clearing his throat. “I’ve brought back some of the materials you needed…you know…” he then gave a quick, nervous glance back at you, one that made you even more curious than before. Sonic was somehow terrible at acting. “….for the thing?”

Tails’ eyes widened as well, his expression a carbon copy of Sonic’s as he immediately stopped flying, unconsciously bringing his two tails up to hide both him and Sonic from your view with terrible fake casualty. “Right!...the thing!... I almost forgot…” curse him and his fluffy double tails. Had they been even one inch less fluffy and fuzzy, you would be able to see what Tails is taking out of the small pouch bag Sonic gives to him. Tails muttered to himself all while Sonic tapped his foot impatiently, and you tiptoed a bit up to at least try to peer your head to the continents, but then gave up mid-action, realizing how nosy you were being right now. You mentally cursed yourself for such behaviour, and almost didn’t hear Sonic’s chuckle as he looked at you, making you groan in embarrassment as you avoided eye contact with him.

“Welp, these seem to be enough!” Tails walks away from Sonic, putting the brown bag at the table next to your laptop. “I’m actually surprised you were able to get all of them in less than a day. Last time it took you two.”

Sonic seemed to puff his chest in pride, putting an arm on his hip in slight arrogance, all while his foot still impatiently tapped on the floor. “Well, last time you needed to create this for more than one person, I had to spend half the day searching for more areas with those minerals. The first cave ran out!”

Feeling like this conversation would not really engage you in any way, especially with their secret code word for it, you sat on the chair instead, wondering if it's your cue to leave or not.

“Why are you here anyway?” Sonic seemed to steer the conversation back to you. A part of you felt a jolt of warmth strike your heart, silently grateful for his notice.

“Tails thought my laptop needed a few upgrades.”

“..that bulky thing is a laptop?” Sonic’s comment made Tails snort, only to earn your glare and quickly hold back his smile with an amused huff. “I always thought it was some sort of super-computer or something.”

“That’s what she called it the first time we met.” Tails added

“I didn’t call it a supercomputer.” You defended. “I said it is a computer. And technically speaking, it is.”

“Aren’t computers and laptops completely different things?” Tails questioned.

Sonic nodded in agreement.“Yeah, like…computers are for dorks and laptops are for journalists who don’t get paid enough to be a dork!”

Tails’ ears hung low a bit at that, giving him a lighthearted glare and ‘hey!’ as a protest. “That’s not what I meant at all!” he huffed, only adding to Sonic’s amusement.

“Well, that’s the only difference between them that I could think of.”

“Yeah, exactly, because they don’t have much of a difference anyway.” You continued. “I mean..sure one is much more expensive and runs on a higher system and has more assets and storage space..but in the end they both run on Windows, don’t they?”

“Maybe in the past, sure. But now the processors of a computer are clearly different from those of a laptop.” Tails seemed to hum, looking at your laptop once more and checking the timer on its update.

“Alright, this talk is getting too nerdy now.” Sonic stretched his arms and yawned in boredom. “How about I leave you two nerds alone for your dorky chit chat?”

“It’s not dorky!!” you both yelled in unison, only fueling Sonic’s amusement. “Sure…sure, whatever you say, dorks.”

“I have to go too.” You got up, silently decided to ignore his last quip to keep the peace in the workshop. “My shift starts in an hour…”

“Need a ride?” Sonic offered, and though a part of you was tempted to accept, another part felt guilty for using him in such a way. However, he is the one offering, and he did tell you last time not to feel guilty for these things. Henceforth, with a mind full of doubt and insecurity mingled with reassurance, you give a smile and nod.

“You think you’ll be okay here alone, Tails?” you inquired. “I mean- if you need someone to stay with you-“ Tails casually swatted you away with his hands, taking out some of the materials in the small bag and choosing from his array of equipment on the wall.

“I’ll be fine, Doc.” You really can’t believe how much this nickname Sonic gave you spread around. It seems to be more contagious than the plague. Something Sonic seemed to be gloatful about as you gave him a playful glare, and he merely smiled back. “I’ll call you when I’m done with your laptop.”

You went quiet for a moment, Sonic giving out the smallest jolt of panic, imperceptible to the distracted guy, which in this case, was you, as his eyes nervously dart around you and Tails, and the gears in your head start churning. “Uh…I don’t have a phone?...” at least, you don’t have one anymore. Even if you did have it, you doubt it’d be able to alert you to calls or even handle them, for that matter.

Tails' two tails freeze up as he stills in his movements, eyes widened and blinking purfiously as he nervously looked at you again, a sheepish smile on his face. “Uh..right..right—I-I meant I’ll call..uh.. Amy! I’ll call Amy to alert you.” If he weren’t such a bad liar, you would’ve actually believed him. Nevertheless, a part of you trusted him and the rest of the gang completely, so your mind automatically accepted his reasoning and processed his irregular mistake simply as that…a mistake.

“Alright then…” You muttered, and you heard a relieved sigh next to you. As you turned your head, Sonic froze up again and gave a nervous smile back. Your brain is muddled in confusion. Seriously, what is going on with these two? Why are they acting weird(er) than before?

‘It must be some dumb prank.’ Your mind reasoned. Last week, you saw these two paint all of Amy’s red roses white and white roses red just to mess with her decorum. All while Knuckles got the memo wrong and painted her fences pink instead. His excuse was “red and white create pink!... also, I wasn’t really listening to you guys and just noticed the wood on the fence looking a bit too rickety for the garden.” It was surprising to see Knuckles pay attention to the gardening decorum of all things, although Amy did once mention that Knuckles preferred the outdoors and nature more than the city. Knuckles earned a tea time party (which he insisted on calling a ‘hangout’, and you constantly teased by correcting it to ‘party’) with you and Amy, while Sonic and Tails, caught literally red-handed, were forced to very carefully and gently wash up every petal on the roses. An incredibly fun day for you and a failed prank day for Sonic and Tails.

With a shrug, you bid goodbye to Tails, thanking him in advance for his help. Sonic soon followed, bidding his own goodbyes before mindlessly scooping you up, not noticing your embarrassed blink as you wrapped your arms around his neck, wondering why it seemed so casual for him to do this and yet so foreign to you. This is the fourth time he’s doing this…yet no matter how much he does it, it still feels..strange. not in a bad way, but you fear calling it good also. You liked it, but you’d rather die than admit that, especially to someone as ego-driven as Sonic. So you bit your tongue instead, feeling the wind blow on you as he runs with quick agility, as if he’s not holding a very heavy human with him. You glance up at him, eyes becoming somewhat used to the blazing wind long enough to finally keep a steady gaze at the sights around you. Sonic was beaming, eyes on the road with an unbridled and enthusiastic grin on his face, one that made you chuckle and feel happy as well.

It made you wonder, did Sonic have fun running like this all the time? Did he always have that cheeky grin when he ran?

-----

“It’s not what it looks like! It’s not what it looks like!” the squeaky, almost condescending, and tweeters of a parrot as it flapped its wings rang through your infirmary. All while you looked at the owner of the parrot, an elegant mouse with pearls around her neck and classy glasses on her face, who looked at the parrot in annoyance. Like the type your mother used to give you when you acted like a dumb kid, but you were her dumb kid, so she had to just accept that you are, in fact, dumb. It made a small chill run down your spine, pushing away memories in your mind as you focused on the task at hand. “Mandy, I’m sorry! Mandy, I’m sorry!” the parrow squawked again, flapping its feathers. “She came on to me!” another squawk. “I was overcome with masculine urges!” another squawk that helped hide your own snort, biting your lip to hold back your giggle at the sheer strangeness of this situation.

The mouse in question, Mandy, sighed in exasperation, facepalming and running that hand all the way down to her face, as if she was yanking out all the exhaustion as she glanced at you. “You see my problem here?”

You nodded, hands on the table as you hummed. “Clearly.” You answered, then gave a nervous cough. “However…my job is to heal animals, madame, not to uh…well—“

The small birdie on the table squawked, blinking and turning its head left and right as it looked like you. “I want a divorce! I want a divorce!”

You hissed a bit, feeling the second-hand embarrassment and pity as the lady pinched the bridge of her nose. “…diclipine. I can’t discipline your own pet, madame. I’m just a vet.”

“Please, you have to think of something!” the woman, Mandy, you presumed, pleaded to you as her bird continued to squawk and repeat. “I can’t- I can’t take it anymore! Iago has been at it for months! I’ve tried getting him to say other things! Tongue twisters..catchy songs, hell even another argument just to see if he’ll let go of..that one.”

“You cheater! You bastard!” the parrot mimicked, making you both wince. Her in regards to the embarrassment, and you in regards to the very intimate details you’re learning about a patient’s family life.

“I’m losing my mind!” she cried out, hands hiding her face in shame. “I love my little Iago, I really do— but this is becoming unbearable!”

You felt a pang of guilt, all with a touch of helplessness as your mind wracked for a solution. “well…uh..” you looked at the parrot- Iago, you persumed- and let the bird put its tiny feet on your index finger, lifting him to your shoulder.” maybe Iago just needs a bit of fresh company?...you know, sometimes, parrots repeat the words of a loved one whom they miss.”

Mandy’s eyes softened, though her frown deepened. “So Iago just misses his dad?” she mumbled.

“Possibly.” You shrugged, and the bird seemed to chirp in amusement, ruffling his shoulders up as if to mimic your shrug. He then proceeded to nuzzle his head on your cheek. “Again- I’m only a medical professional, not an animal psychologist. And I even doubt such a profession exists.” That is, if you don’t consider animal trainers a sort of animal psychologist?...you’d rather not give her ideas, since the animal trainers on the island aren’t really up to your standards. “All this little guy needs is time…it’s….hard to get over the loss of a loved one. Even if the loved one was a douchebag—er—no offense..”

“none taken.” She shook her head, though her eyes seemed to soften up with your words, her shoulders a bit more relaxed as she let out a sigh. “he was a douchebag.” She chuckled.

Your mind ran through a million solutions, things that were off the textbooks and never taught in your courses. So many years spent on a blasted doctorate, only for it to become useless in the face of a parrot.“Perhaps…if living alone didn’t seem to work well for Iago here, maybe you should find some company? You know, most animals only give us a reflection of our own lives and what we might feel…so perhaps, to heal both of you, you two just needed some company around the house?...”

Mandy seemed to brighten up a bit at that, Iago squeaking in excitement as he got on top of your head. “And you say animal psychologists don’t exist.” She snickered in excitement, giving a small chirp that, interestingly enough, signalled Iago to come back down and land on her shoulder instead. Thanks again, Doctor. I’ll check up with you next month!” Her hand reached for the door, and your heart blared, sputtering out a few words of caution a bit too late as the door opened and a fuzzy, brown puppy immediately jumped onto your chest. Iago squawked in shock and excitement, all while Mandy gasped in worry and Marigold stepped inside.

“Oh my goodness!” your patient’s owner held her chest in shock. “What on earth was that?!”

“A puppy we rescued.” Marigold sighed, giving the weasel a sheepish smile. “Little fella over here was stuck under some plastic near the beach shore yesterday…Snickers sniffed him out of the sand, and Doctor Y/n here healed the lil’ pup up.” She then gave a nervous laugh. “Now…the little rascal has become very attached to her.” Mandy seemed amused by that, giving a small snicker, all while you scrambled to hold the puppy up and away from you, his tongue sticking out and desperate to give your face licks, barking in giddiness.

“I—I can’t just open the door for you, little buddy!” You tried to hold back the wave of endearment hitting you as you looked into his excited eyes. The brown bichon frise had always been a cutie in the dog breeds, albeit their hair management was a nightmare. The little bichon tried to extend his paws to you, as if he was trying his best to break out of your hold and embrace you. It made your heart swell, but you knew you couldn’t get too attached. Not with the state your living situation is right now. “Why don’t you go play with the other puppies?? It’ll be fun, you know.” The bichon gave you a tiny whimper and pout, making you snort. “Come onnnn, don’t be shy! They’ll love you.” Lil’ Bichon gave another whine and subtly shook his head no. You sat him down on your table, giving him a few scratches and pets, his tail wagging in satisfaction as he lies down on the cold table and shows you his stomach. “You’re so demanding.” You teased, giving him a light scratch on his tummy as he smiled in triumph.

Mandy and Marigol stayed silent. “…. does she always talk to the animals like that?” Shockingly enough, the parrot, Igor, was the one who blurted that out.

-----

hearing the squeaky, always on repeat bird suddenly say something completely original, with his tone indicating how weirded out he was by your behaviour, made Marigold snort as Mandy grinned in relief. even if her bird’s first, non-repeated words after weeks of anguish were about how strange his doctor was, it seemed to be enough for her. as you bid your goodbye to Mandy, whom immediatley thanked you for helping, even if it was in the most non-academic way possible, Marigold’s eyes seemed to be filled with anticipation, and a sharp intuition. “..you know who that was, right?”

“No,” you shrugged, opening a can of dog food and putting it on the little bichon’s tray. “She seemed classy, though.”

“She’s Mayor Fink’s daughter. Mandy Fink.” Marigold let out a tiny squeal, her bunny ears flopping a bit upwards in giddiness. “Ohhh, Doc, I think we just secured a long-term customer!”You held back the urge to correct it to ‘patient’. It was always a bit saddening how easily the lines between those two are blurred, even for you. “Once she starts talking to all her classy friends about you, we’ll be rolling in dough in no time!” Her smile was contagious, and you couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment from her words. Mandy Fink…it makes sense why she has an exotic pet like a parrot, then. And if she is ever going to recommend her friends to visit, you’ll surely see even more variety in such a matter.

As your thoughts ran around and you sat next to Marigold to finally take a break, you felt Snickers’ muzzle hit your thigh, and you looked down at him, confused. He then motioned to the still-very-full food tray of the bichon, eyeing you in worry. Shit. Snickers had always been like a caretaker of the pups around here. You’re grateful he noticed this, because you, with your cursed train of thoughts and wanderings, could have easily missed it.

“What’s wrong?” Marigold takes a sip of her tea, glancing at your untouched teacup, then back at you with slight concern.

“…have you seen the little pup?...”

“Uh, uh,” she puts the teacup down, then momentarily blinks. “….come to think of it…I haven’t heard his barking in a few minutes now…” Her bunny ears shot up in worry, ears twisting left and right like a sensory machine, detecting any noise.

As both of you sat up and pierced your eyes and ears for the suddenly lost puppy, you heard a kiddish giggle outside, from a familiar voice no less. You wonder if you should just ignore it, if it’s just a few kids out playing again, but then, you hear it, the familiar young and chirpy bark. Without a word, you quickly get up and leave the small shop (and clinic), your veins preparing for shock, even if your heart sighed relief.

Tails laughed full-heartedly as the puppy you were looking for smothered his face in licks, all your worrying being for naught.’ Thank god’. Your shoulders slouched as you let out a sigh you didn’t know you were holding back, eyeing the two pairs with curiosity and slight amusement.

“You’re cute.” Tails’ tone seemed…simple. His words, in your opinion, a bit…out of place? Out of his own depth? Or perhaps it’s the way his eyes seemed so naïve and innocent now, even if before, his gaze had a touch of ingenuity and inquiry in it. Tails held up the puppy to his eye level, smiling at it. “…I’m calling you….” You were expecting the nerdiest, dorkiest, and most tongue-twisting names one could ever utter. “…Pudding!” Oh.

Pudding, thus was his name, barked in agreement, wagging his tail absentmindedly as he licked his face again. Tails’ own two tails seemed to be wagging ever-so-slightly as well, setting Pudding down and chasing him around in a small circle.

You were so utterly baffled by the scene that you didn’t even want to intrude. It felt…wrong. You’ve never seen Tails act like a kid before, and it struck you that you’ve never even wondered if he was a kid or not. You always thought his height difference didn’t have much significance, since, mind you, you knew very little about ‘Mobians’ anyhow, so you didn’t dare to question it.

Yet, seeing Tails running around in constant circles made you wonder how much you truly know about the tech-genius of the gang.

You were wondering if you should just,,,, silently walk away and act like you haven’t seen a thing, who knows how Tails would respond if he knew someone was watching him be so carefree, since he always seemed like the guy with the most amount of thoughts constantly passing through his head. However, that idea was soon demolished as Tails stumbled to the ground face-first, your instincts being quicker than your doubts once more as you walked up to him with a gasp of worry.

“You ok, Tails?!” You held him up by the shoulder, seeing his eyes swirl around in dizzy confusion as you dusted him off.

“….Y/n?....” he mumbled, shaking his head. His dizzy swirls seemed to stop; the blank, no-thoughts-behind-his-eyes gaze was still permanent. “Why are you here?”

His blunt and confused tone made you pause. Giving him a blink, glancing at the pet shop, he soon followed, then looking at your white coat, his eyes repeated, then looking back at him again, befuddled, while he gave a relaxed smile back.

“….I work here?” You gave a nervous laugh, scratching your head as Pudding sniffed around the terrain, most likely identifying the smell of the new cardboard boxes you just emptied this morning.

Tails blinked in complete confusion, looking around the place once more, eyes set on the trash cans behind the pet shop. He then looks back at you. “….you’re a garbageman?”

Your jaw dropped in disbelief, thousands of thoughts swirling through your mind as your eyes twitched slightly, your pride heavily wounded. But you held back your hurt, your offense, because he sounded so…so confused. Like a child who doesn’t know the gravity of... well, anything. You’ve never seen him like this before.

“…uh….” You took a deep breath, trying your best to soften your tone. “…no, no, no buddy,” it seemed like Sonic’s nickname for everyone is like a contagious virus, all directly spread from him to others around him, and you seemingly have fallen ill with calling Tails ‘buddy’ as well, almost hesitantly, since you weren’t sure if Tails would be fine with that or not. “…I work at the pet shop.

“I’m not buddy---“ at his words, you almost corrected yourself, thinking he meant that as in he didn’t like being called that by anyone else but his best friend; however, his next words made you sputter and stumble silent. “---I’m Tails!”

“Uh…I..know?...” Do you? Do you know? because right now you feel more than you’ve ever felt. Your concious is telling you something is up with Tails, while your crippling self-doubt turns it arounf and yells that something is wrong with you. as intellect and insecruity go to war in your brain, your next words stumble into a heep of confused jibberish, all ending with “—why are you here?” as the puppy now infamously named Pudding gnaws his teeth with the ends of your jeans, satisfied with the fabric underneath his canines.

Tails grinned, then took out a pizza box from his satchel. “I brought your laptop!” With eyes bright and a box of pizza empty, both you and Pudding looked at Tails incredulously. “It’s fixed! See?”

“…….”

-----

“….so….your friend here is a…tech-genius?” Marigold poured another cup of tea for you and handed out a bottle of chocolate milk from the fridge to Tails, who sat next to you and ate his carrot cake with child-like delight. Completely oblivious to the conversation. Marigold saw Tails’ twin tails twitch, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he tried to reach for the kettle. She swiftly put the kettle on the stove, away from his reach. “….I uh….I heard stories about him, but…” she blinked, seemingly just as confused as you were a few moments ago, as she eyes him. “….he’s…certainly unique?” She gave a strained smile, right ear twitching, indicating the lie.

You took a sip of your own tea, the heated taste of nothingness doing absolutely nothing to quell your concerns. “…he’s not himself today.” You muttered, hands absentmindedly grabbing his shoulders and stopping him from reaching into a snake’s jar. He, unlike his usual self and more of a little boy now, only whined in protest and brought both his hands up to the jar, as if he was trying his best to reach the snake with his short appendages. “..he’s usually more mature than this.” you defended, giving a sheepish smile. “hell, I was with him just this morning..everything seemed fine!” it was times like these you wished you had a way to contact your friends, maybe then one of them could pick him up and take him back home..since you still do have a shift to complete.

Marigold hummed, puzzled herself. “Whatever it is…I’m sure it’s nothin’ crazy…” her tone seemed half-assured, half-hopeful, as if she couldn’t completely guarantee what she promised was true. You nodded in response, trying to soothe the worry quelled in your heart with her reassurance, half-assed as it may be.

“I’m boredddd,” Tails whined like a kid, shaking your arm with a pout. “Doc…gimme something to doooo….” although his plea pierced through your heart, you’d rather not ask him to do anything at this moment, given his strange behaviour. A keen insight raced through your mind, one that had your head racking with guilt and throat clogging with a million apologies. What if he’s having some sort of meltdown from all the work he’s been doing? What if your laptop finally tipped the iceberg of his workload? Unsure of what to do and how to make up for it, you did what your parents did for you when your boredom spiked. You turned on the TV.

As the TV chruned with a silly, classic cartoon, Tails' whining ceased, eyes glued to the screen on top of your heads across from you, a cat absentmindedly sitting on his lap as he watched some strange cartoon about time traveling.

“Ah, TV…best way to silence kids.” And quite literally the worst parenting skill one could harbor. Nevertheless, you merely chuckled at Marigold’s joke, knowing she was only trying to make conversation. A part of you felt guilt for silencing Tails' whines with a click of a button on the TV remote, just like how your parents have done with you; however, your mind reasoned, you’re not exactly in a position to pay attention to Tails' shenanigans right now, not when you’re supposed to be at work. Furthermore, nothing here is safe for Tails to touch or play with. It’s not really child-friendly. Hell, you’re not sure why you feel parental guilt right now, you’re not even a mother! Your friend is just suddenly acting like a kid. And in any case, look how you turned out—wait, no. You grimaced to yourself, placing the cup down. You are not a good example of a healthy human being, despite how many masks you put on.

Having noticed the mental conflict within your gaze, Marigold continued, “You know- parenthood is difficult.” She reasoned. “ I always feel bad for all the parents here on the island….I mean, think about it! Not only do you have to make sure your child doesn’t die from the constant attacks and natural disasters,” your eyebrows quirked up at the ‘natural disasters’ comment, but you decided to stay quiet. If that silence was a sign of mercy to your own anxiety or just a way to not derail the conversation, you weren’t sure. “---but also constantly trying to make sure your kid doesn’t grow up to be a jerk? That is just awful…” she absentmindedly petted Snickers, the golden retriever, happily placing his head on her lap. “With animals, you’d think it’d be easier.” She reasoned, “Their needs are simple, their hearts forever loyal, even if cats would act otherwise,” she mused, one of the cats who was licking their fur just a few feet away, glaring at her in embarrassment, their tail flickering. You both held back your smiles. “and yet…it’s still just as hard! Sometimes, I really don’t know what to do with Snickers, he’s so energetic, and I’m not getting any younger, you know?... I’m sometimes worried that one day, I won’t be able to keep up with all his energy.”

“I’m sure he’ll still love you either way.” You comforted, feeling your hand being picked up by tails, you weren't sure what he was planning, but you let him do whatever he wanted, not wanting to seem rude for ignoring Marigold now. And in any case, he didn’t call out or nudge you, just silently grabbed your wrist as you heard him hum something behind your back.

“Sure, but….what if he doesn’t?” She shrugged, gaze deep in thought. “I know pets and kids are meant to be different things entirely-but…I..see a lot of kids not love their parents, you know?”

Your throat clogged up, tapping your fingernails on your cup nervously. “….it’s…not because they’re sociopaths or ungrateful…” You defended. “I think it’s because... those parents didn’t give any love to them either.” Or perhaps, like you, their parents never had the healthiest way of showing their love, and it made them not have a healthy way of expressing it either. Perhaps that’s why you escaped to the TV, to the cusps of your imagination within a screen. Even now, you’re giving Tails something that always comforted you, fictional characters who find it easy to understand, communicate, and express their feelings. Something your family, or even yourself, is completely allergic to. Your desire for adventure, your need for something new, and your abstination of it led you to find your escapism only through a screen or a book. And ever since your mother destroyed the latter, you decided to stick to the medium that’s too expensive for her too destory.

Rebellious. That’s what she calls you when you’re fighting. Obedient. That’s what she claimed you were when she was happy. It was insane how her value of you changed exactly based on those two terms. And the worst part was how baffled she was when you used to dissociate for even longer periods of time, the more you grew up. You remember the old TV box you had, one with the shape of a cube and a screen with trashfire picture quality. The excitement you felt when the ‘coming up next’ list had your favorite shows on it. the electricity buzzing on your lips as your kiddish self enthusiastically kissed the screen, as if you were thanking the TV gods, as if your shows were real, as if your favorites were real and were coming back to see you with a new adventure, and were not just scheduled to be televised on those certain dates. To you, the world of reality was the one you believed to be unrealistic. You found more heart, more understanding, more love from fictional pixels on a grainy screen than in your own world. Sometimes that thought hurts your heart. Other times, it amuses you. However, in this case, as you watched Tails’ eyes be glued to the screen in worship, you wondered if every kid in the world had that moment of dissociation, and your parents were just…overdramatic to be worried about it.

But then again…you did kiss the TV screen and also forget your own parents’ names constantly when asked. So maybe you did need help, but they had absolutely refused to give due to the family's image. (and costs, though your mother would refuse to admit that, all while constantly calculating all the money your family lost every Friday.)

Your bundle of thoughts vanquished as Tails groaned in annoyance, tails’ flickering as he rolled his eyes and glared at the screen. Your own head snapped back to him, then to the TV, holding back your chuckle as you see the ‘BINEWS’ (Byegone Island News) outline very clearly at the right side of the screen.

The news anchorman, a wolf mobian woman with a sharp gaze and tiny cubic purple glasses, right beside her, a more relaxed and slightly disheveled fox mobian with a sly smile, took hold of all three of your attention.

“Citizens of byegone island, welcome to the afternoon byegone scoop, where we uh…” Her eyes and nose crinkled, looking at what you persumed was the monitor screen behind the camera, adjusting her glasses. “ catch the latest news by the noon’ and deliver the…what?...deliver the goss’ hot and burning with..no snooze?—ok----who wrote this?!!” her scoff of disbelief made her partner held back his snort, clearing his throat and taking the attention. “merely two hours ago our fantastic five-personed crew with the beloved speedster in blue just dismantled another fued and turned it into a fluke.” His quick and charming voice seemed to annoy his partner, her eye twitching in annoyance. She pushed him away with heavy force, yet it was so elegantly done you’d think she was as gentle as a feather when she did so, only when the fox anchorman stumbled down did you realize she’s not one to be messed with. she continued the speech with unbothered seriousness. “—once again, eggman’s evil robot schemes turned into nothing but screws, scraps, and the occasional tear or laugh.”

“That’s right!-“A forceful push from the fox sent the wolf falling with an ‘oof!’. The anchorman gave a wry smile, quickly adjusting his now disheveled suit as he spoke. “The new gadget-tastic of the fantastic crew made by their own tech-wiz-fanatic Tails Miles Prower- made Eggman put up a hissy fit for the newly put-up purple forcefield! Tails ran miles with this sort of power” he snorted at his own joke, a feminined and annoyed grumble could be heard under the table. “paving the way for advanced secruity on the Island, being rewarded the great achievement award by Mayor Fink himself!---OW-“ he yelped in pain, ears shot back up and hair’s standing on end as he was grabbed by the tail and pushed down, the wolf lady coming back up with her glasses askewed as she sits down. “ however- thirty minutes right after the ceremony with all the speechs and rambles jumped back in a rebutal from the well-known criminal and robots infested with underground minerals-“ she hissed in annoyance, pinching the bridge of her nose and looking at someone off-screen. “Ok Toby, that one doesn’t even make any sense- just—ugh, I’ll riff this.” She looked back at the camera. “Eggman launched an underground attack and basically rendered Mr.Prower’s invention useless. Again,” she rolled her eyes. “Mayor Fink immediately took back the trophy, and-“ the fox suddenly sprang up. “And lil’ Miles left with both his tails tucked between his legs!” he grinned triumphantly. The wolf clicked her tongue, letting out a restrained sigh. “….you just had to have that last line, didn’t you? you attention seeking frea-“

You immediately turned the TV off, having heard enough of the bizarre info-dump. Your gaze turns back to Tails, who was idly playing with the feline on his lap. “Tails…” you felt like a mother gently probing out the truth from a mischievous child, as if he had hidden the TV remote somewhere and no one could find it. “…did…did uh…” You didn’t want to say the wrong thing, afraid that a simple miscommunication of words and intent could devolve into him being too prideful or ashamed to keep his mouth shut. After all, Tails was not acting like himself, and you’re unsure how this Tails would truly react to all this. “…did..something happen before you got here?”

Tails was quiet, then hummed in deep thought, finger tucked under his chin as his other hands kept being played with by the feline, his gloves almost being ripped off by the hunter instincts the little furball was letting out. “….oh! Yeah!” he brightened up in recognition. You took a deep breath, making sure to stay still so as not to show your alarm. “Mhm?” you urged fim to continue, fingers nervously tapping the glass.

He turns his head back at you, smiling at you. “I was born!”

You could hear Marigold’s snort behind you, which did little to help ease your slight frustration. With a small sigh, you merely nodded your head, taking another sip and finally finishing your lukewarm tea.”..figured as much.” You muttered, your arm a bit extended as you noticed Marigold reaching for the teapot, no doubt expecting a refill request. She wasn’t wrong; you absolutely did need it.

“…relax, he’s probably just a bit out of his headspace,” Marigold reassured, refilling her own cup as well and setting the teapot aside. She reached for her own cup, as you do too, looking at you with a comforting hum. “…he can just sleep it off here, and he’ll be back to himself in no time.”

“Yeah..right. Sure.” You tried your best to accept her reasoning, for there is no other plausible explanation. Tails was probably just having a really bad meltdown. You would, too, if you worked hard on something only to see it fail spectacularly. With a nervous nod and a concerned-laced sigh, you both take a sip of your new tea, only to spit it out mere two seconds later in a heap of hot-water spotters as you notice another Tails, a carbon copy of the one beside you, just mindlessly walking into the store and trying to eat the dried dog food in the glass container.

Both Tails seemed stunned by your reactions, eyes finally landing on each other, blinking unfazed, then shrugging and looking back at you again, as if this was a completely mundane occurrence. Your lungs were filled with unending coughs as you tried to gasp out a response in disbelief. Tea clogged your throat while confusion choked you up. You give a helpless look to Marigold, one you were certain was screaming ‘I’m not hallucinating this, am I????’ because she was nodding back at you, agreeing with the silent assessment.

The new Tails seemed unbothered, going back to chowing down on the dog food. “Hey! I want some too!!” the Tails beside you whined, getting up and setting the cat on his lap, immediately running up to the twin-tailed impostor and chewing on the food with him.

“…did you drug our tea?” you couldn’t help but ask, wiping your eyes as if they were the true deceptors of your situation.

“Nope...” she shook her head, gulping. “ …the tea leaves are fresh too. My own recipe. “That explains the exquisite taste, which would have been delightful to cherish if not for the elephant—er…foxes in the room.

You let out a nervous sigh, thousands of ideas racing through your brain while millions of worries ignited your heart. In a stressed jumble, you set your cup down and look back at Marigold. “Do you think I should—“

“—yeah, yeah… definitely.” She didn’t even need you to finish, already grabbing the phonebook and telephone. “…I’ll reschedule them on a later date…you go find out what’s going on.” It was comforting to know your boss isn’t unreasonable enough to let you stay. Though you do wonder, amusingly, if she’s just doing this in hopes of the two Tails not eating out her entire stock of pet food.

With no more explanations needed, you grabbed the two yellowed twin-tailed tails and dashed out the door.

------

“Are we there yet?”

“We just left five minutes ago.”

May god(s) above help you, because you’re now realizing what it means to be on your last thread of patience. With one of the Tails on your back and the other holding your hand, you can feel your back almost cracking and your feet becoming sore under the dirt, slowly turning into soft sand. Five minutes in this journey, and you’re already at your limit with this sudden babysitting gig. The Tails on top of you rested his head on your shoulder. An action you would’ve found cute had it not been the same gremlin who groans and whines like a petulant child right next to your ear, all while his carbon copy needs to have his hand held at all times, lest you’d want him running off causing trouble somewhere else. Pudding barks and runs forward, sniffing every pebble and sand grain on your trail back to Tails’ workshop. At least he’s not bored, but then again, little puppies like him are probably allergic to boredom to begin with.

Tails seemed to whine again from your response, placing his forehead on your shoulder. “But that was an hour agoooooo”

“No.” You tried your absolute best to hide your annoyance, only to sound like an exhausted parent. “Again, that was five minutes ago.” Has he completely forgotten the concept of time, along with everything else?

The other Tails was no help either, his head snapping in every direction, then sputtering out as he points to something random. “What’s that?” This time, he points to something near the sea.

“It’s a crab.” You curtly replied. Tails hummed in wonder, already extending his hands to trail after the red creature. You quickly pulled him back to your side. He seemed unbothered by the action, or perhaps he didn’t notice it at all. You waited with bated breath for him to ask more; he usually does, and you’d be forced to explain more out of the sense of obligation that was dwindling by the second. However, he just stayed silent. And you let out a relieved sigh. Tails twisted his head another direction.

“What’s that?” seems like your relief was ill-timed. You take a deep breath, holding back a groan with all your might as your eyes follow his hand. “…that’s a tree.”

“Oh,” he seemed satisfied, continuing to walk beside you. Then he stopped again. “…what’s a tree?”

--“Are we there yet???”

Feeling your fragile patience finally crack, you came to a halt and gave a strained and tired smile. “Alright..how about we play a game while we walk?” That seemed to catch the pair’s attention.

“What game?”

“What’s a game?”

Ignoring the latter, you continued, “It’s called…the quiet game.” You couldn’t believe you were pulling this move. You never imagined yourself stuck in the same situations as thirty-year-old parents with an office job and thin strands of hope. Yet, desperate times call for desperate measures, and you’re not sure how much longer you’re going to last with the abundantly curious pairs of mischief. “It’s a game where we stay silent…and whoever talks first, loses.” Pudding then barks, so you add in- “Pudding won’t be playing.” The puppy gave a sad whimper to that.

“That sounds boring, “ the Tails on your back grumbled. “Can’t we play something else? Please?”

Perhaps it was the plead or maybe it was the cuteness of it all, or maybe it was the fact that you never liked the ‘quiet game’ as a child, either, as desperate as you are for it. With a sigh, you nod your head. “…ok, how about we play something else then?”

“Like what?” the Tails beside you chirped.

“Like…” What kind of activity could elicit small physical labor and a limited amount of noise? Now you understand why parents shove iPads at their kids. It’s just so easy. “..two truths and one lie.”

“Why not truth or dare?” one of them asked.

“uh….” Because you can feel your back breaking from the fox’s weight, but you’re too embarrassed to admit that. “…because we need to stay on track.” You replied.

“ok…you start.”

You thought for a bit, noticing the grass underneath you turned into shimmering sand. Good, you’ll arrive at his house in approximately fifteen minutes. a good enough time for only one or two rounds. “…I like animals. The shirt I’m wearing is in my favorite color and…I can speak to snakes.”

Both twins looked at each other for a bit, then the one on your back responded. “The second one is a lie, right?”

“Nope.” You held back your smirk. Look at you, feeling confident in winning against literal children. Wow. Impressive.

“Um..you can speak to snakes?” The one you’re holding rests his chin on your head as he says this. You gave a concerned glance at him. yikes…these lapses in logic are worse than you thought.

“Um.. no.” You can’t even believe you have to deny that.

The other Tails scratches his head as he glances at you. “Then how are you a vet?” You now have newfound respect for parents who decide to homeschool.

“Vets don’t speak to animals.” Although now you sort of wish you could. That would’ve made diagnosing them far easier. A simple physician can just have their patient tell them their symptoms on the phone and write up a prescription. You, however, have to wonder if the squeak your patient gave was one of pain, fear, excitement, or all of the above. There are times you try to speak with them, much to Marigold’s dismay, but all you’ve gotten from them is that treats are great, toys are meant to be pummeled to destruction, and daily pats on the head are mandatory.

“Your laptop had a bunch of animal research files in them.” Your eyebrows shot up at that. For once in this tediously long walk, one of them has said something comprehensible.

“Yeah..it used to be my study laptop.” You hummed. “It took a lot of time to get my doctorate.” And money, but your heart couldn’t bear to remember Louis’ generosity.

“Oh? So it was always yours?” Tails grinned innocently. “I thought it belonged to someone named Louis!”

Your heart stopped. Even if that emotional organ of yours wanted so badly to ignore the elephant in the room, fate decided to hit you with a train instead, with the elephant as the conductor. Millions of questions swirled through your mind, your voice completely gone, and your movements halted. It was only by Pudding’s barks that you finally snapped out of it and looked back at Tails. “….Louis?...” You were treading on thin ice here, with sharks underneath its freezing waters and toxic seaweed right at the bottom. You didn’t want to reveal anything he may not know, even if he was in a strange state of mind.

“Yeah, the guy in all your pictures and videos.” Tails absentmindedly started playing with the sand underneath him, using his Tail as a brush. “You also had a receipt saved in your files. It was this laptop, right? said it was bought by Louis Clement.

You wish the sand underneath you would just swallow you whole. Embarrassment and shame flickered all around your nerves, lingering fear and the deep urge to deny all allegations swirling through your body and shooting up to your throat, like a sickening bile of acid that was meant to be thrown up. Yet you swallowed it down, as painful as that was, and gave him a strained, painful smile. “Uhh….yeah….it was….” You can feel your heart being stabbed a million times. Your brain muddying over guilt, your eyes feeling the weary lack of sleep you feel every night. “…a gift.” You finally mumbled it out with such restraint, one would think you’re some illiterate who forgot the word used for this occasion.

“What kind of rich kid was he to gift you a laptop?” first good question Tails had asked in this strange situation.

--“ and how rich was he that you were absolutely careless in taking care of it?” second good question Tails had asked, and both made you wallow in shame.

"I wasn’t that careless with it!”

---“There literally was sand inside your keyboard.”

“god forbid I crash, I guess.”

---“Why didn’t you put your laptop in an actual laptop bag?”

“Since when did you guys have brain cells?!”

--“since this story got juicy!”

--“spill the beans, doc!” How does he even remember that nickname in this state? “Is he your boyfriend?”

You were about to throw up. A gag reflex shakes your core. “ God no—“ the very concept of it makes you want to hurl. “ he was a friend.”

“Was he a boy?”

“Yeah.”

“So he’s your boyfriend?”

“ok- now you’re just acting dumb on purpose.” To that scolding, both of them glanced at each other and released their held-back giggles, much to your dismay. With a grumble, you continued walking onward, a tad bit quicker than before, just to startle both of them in their fits of laughter.

There were only five minutes of peace before they popped another question, fully forgetting the rules of the game, it seems. “But really, why don’t you wanna talk about him?”

It took you a while to answer. You wanted to give something concrete and resolute, without leading into any more questions. “…we’re not friends anymore.” For a moment, you thought your plan had worked, because they stopped pestering, merely shifting in your back and arms, one of them resting his chin on your head while the other played with pudding as they held your hand.

However, that victory was short-lived. “Do you miss him?”

You stilled, feeling your heart get stabbed with the sharpest of daggers, slowly bleeding and filling your lungs with blood. Yet you held back your pained sigh, your frustrated urge to scrunch up your face and grit your teeth. Instead, you took a deep, steadying breath, trying your best not to circulate the question or the truth in your mind. You wanted to speak, wanted to deny and defy. But the words hung down your throat, scratching the corners, refusing to spout such lies.

It seemed like silence was the best answer to that question.

--------

Birthdays were never really a thing in your family.

As energetic and boisterous as you were, the more you grew older, the less birthdays seemed significant to your family. It’s like a silent rule of sorts. As a child, you’ll have a few big birthday parties to create core memories of parents caring; however, as you grow older, such festivities will be nigh and impossible to expect. It’s something that not only happened to you, but to Jason as well, and your own parents, it seems. They just…didn’t think of it as an important matter. It was meaningless. Pointless. To celebrate a year closer to your death and counting the wrinkles forming on your skin. You guessed your mother never liked thinking about her age, given how she constantly dyed her grey hairs to hide it, and your father simply never had a grand birthday, given how his side of the family was allergic to anything fun. (your mother’s words, not yours. Ironic, given how she was pretty allergic to it, too. Match made in hell.) Whenever you asked Jason what he wanted for his birthday, his people-pleasing tendency got him to do whatever his friends wanted to do. which usually meant parties and booze. Sometimes a nice walk in the park with takeout. But usually just parties.

And you? Well, you didn’t think much about them either. unless it were someone else’s birthday. It was just common politeness and good friend behaviour to hype someone up at this occasion, something you haven’t felt at all for yours. Not until now.

The café was closed in the middle of the day, regulars looking at the closed sign and huffing in annoyance, their plans for brunch in a shabby café now ruined over your birthday. The dusty, coffee-scented place only had four people present. You, Brianna, Jason, and Louis. To someone outside, it’s a small gathering, to you, it’;s your entire world. In hindsight, it was pretty sad that the only people you were closely related to were just three. And one of them is Jason. Yikes. That’s just sad. But in that moment, all you felt was pride and joy, your ego flaring up as the ‘birthday girl’ title is given to you, a freshly-baked homemade cake sat on the counter as Louis and the rest chanted the birthday song terribly off-key. It was a surprise you weren’t expecting, especially from Louis. Louis was never one for small gatherings, especially for birthdays. His birthdays were always grand, expensive, and definitely wasteful. The air was filled to the brim with business proposals and competitive tension. Gossip in every corner and food that costs more than your rent. Louis always had a clean, charming smile at these gatherings. And even if romance novels would tell you that rich kids like him don’t like this sort of attention, you’d argue that Louis did. he liked being praised. He liked being the center of everyone’s attention positively. After all, this was the only day when even his parents didn’t criticize him or berate him as much as they usually do. being too busy making sure his party was perfect, because their image must be upheld. He was always the life of the party. Formal, charming, and relishing every second of power he had. This should’ve been your first red flag, but who were you to chastize someone for enjoying a party that was specifically made to celebrate them? Aren’t you doing the same thing right now? grinning ear to ear as you eye lit candles, feeling your heart jump out in glee. When Louis told you about a surprise, you feared he’d meant a party just like his. But this? this..this wasn’t anything like his parties. This was quiet, in a comfortable setting, with a few people in the world you trusted (known) most. This was your party. And he knew it and made it just the way you liked it. It was times like these when you were grateful to have him as a friend. times like these, you wondered if he truly knew you, and didn’t just like the idea of you, as you feared.

As you finally blew out the candles to a small ensemble of cheers, Jason immediately forked a piece of the cake.

“Jason!” Brianna quickly grabbed his hand, but it was too late. Jason had already had frosting covering the corners of his mouth.

“Your greed sickens me,” you teased, giving him a scornful nod. He only stuck his tongue out in response before grumbling in annoyance as Brianna grabbed his fork from him.

“You’re supposed to be the eldest! Have some patience, you greedy gummy worm!”

“gummy worm?” Louis, who was sitting beside you, whispered to you, confused.

“long story,” was all you could reply with.

“Alright, alright, enough with the fighting..” Jason deliberately ignored Brianna, taking out a package wrapped in colorful paper. “It’s time for the gifts!” he quickly pushed his to your hands. “Come on, birthday girl! Open them all up!”

“So what, you can eat more of the cake without us looking?” you countered, even if your hands were already taking off the sticky bits of clear tape attaching the piece.

“Why, I’d never!” Jason gasped. “I’d never do such a slanderous action…” he then somehow took out another fork from under the table. How did he even have that down there? “I was planning to eat it right in front of you!”

While he and Brianna lightly fought again over Jason’s insatiable sweet tooth, you merely rolled your eyes and opened the gifts one by one. Jason bought you some dumb dad jokes related to veterinary jobs. Said ‘you should put these on your equipment!’ as if that wouldn’t make patients think you’re more of a clown than a doctor. Brianna bought you a shirt with your favorite character in your favorite color. How she found such a fine piece was never mentioned. All she said was that she had the ‘eyes of a small business owner’. Whatever that meant. And last but not least, was left the biggest of them all, Louis’ gift. A rectangular box half the height of the cake, wrapped in wrapping papers of gold and Persian blue, a Clement family guarantee. They wore these colors as their joy and pride. Once, Louis told you that a fashion designer chose cerulean blue rather than Persian, and his mother fired the entire fashion staff for it. You feel a nervous pang hit your heart, not sure why. But as you carefully removed the paper, realizing the gold in the wrapper is actually those fake gold leaves only fancy people use to make things look chic, your eyes landed on the first spot revealed, and your jaw dropped. You look back at Louis, who had a maddening grin.

“…you’re kidding.” You sputered out, and Louis chuckled.

“Just open it!”

“Louis, you have to be joking.” Your hands were quicker than your words, carelessly and excitedly tearing up the wrapper now as your guess becomes the truth. Your hands shake, pure excitement, adrenaline, and twinges of guilt flowing through your veins as you let out a gasp of disbelief. “A laptop?!! You’re serious?!!! Louis—“You couldn’t hold back your excited sob, acting like a schoolgirl who just found out her favorite band is playing in her town. You hold out the box for the rest to view, a new, clean, and professional laptop shining even beneath its secured box. Jason took it from your hands in disbelief, both he and Brianna now analyzing it for themselves. You took this chance to immediately tackle Louis in a hug, leaving him in a fit of giggles.

“So…I reckon you like it?” You could feel his grin as he rested his chin on your shoulder, your hug becoming a bit tighter.

“I love it.”

For once, after so long, your birthday felt special again. The last time it had ever felt this fun was on your seventh birthday…where you met Louis for the first time.

From an outsider’s point of view, it really did seem like Louis was the cause of your happiness, didn’t he? So much so that even he believed it. And you? For a moment, a simple, giddying, and fleeting day, you thought so too. It’s the yearning you have for such simple days that makes you miss him. You miss being his friend. You miss being close. You miss the late-night sleepovers and Falafel-Sob-O’clock on your hometown streets. You miss seeing him get excited over board games, miss his complete inadequacy, yet his interest in normal civilian life.

It seems like you never stop ceasing to miss the ones who hurt you the most at the end of it all.

-----

“Are we there yet?”

For the millionth time, Tails had asked. And this time, it felt more like a plea than a question. You were about to answer him, but your eyes landed on something else instead, one that made you lose all thoughts and intentions, quickly stopping still and frozen as you processed the fiasco in front of you.

Tails. Multiple clones of your nerdy friend, Tails Miles Prower, cause mayhem around his workshop. A zap of blue flashes from side to side, bringing in even more clones like they’re duplicating by the second. Amy seems to be trying to calm them down and form a single line, yet her methods were to no avail. The Tails just kept running amok. Sticks, who seemed agitated by the situation, let out a sharp roar, one you recall learning about in one of your courses. It was basically a way to show dominance and authority, perhaps wanting to help Amy in her endeavor. That didn’t seem to work either, as the foxes just tilted their head seriously, and some tried to mimic her roar.

“I’ll turn you all into fox stew! I swear!” Sticks' ears flickered in irritation. The Tails giggled at her action and made a run for it, and though she was supposed to be the adult in this situation, she actually chased after them.

“Y/n?” You were about to walk off to help Amy and ask what’s going on until you heard Knuckles’ voice behind you. As you turn around, with one Tails still on your back and the other obediently holding your hand, all while Pudding excitedly ran off to play with the other clones, you see Knuckles in a similar, but impressively double predicament. He was holding onto four Tails, who were all obediently circling him. two on his shoulders, two others on each side. It seemed like you two were the only ones with any handle over this situation.

“What’s going on?” you figured it’s best to skip the formalities, given the case at hand.

Knuckles shrugged, giving a confused grunt. “Something about a clone machine…” he sighed, putting the foxes down. “ Tails had an invention go haywire again.”

Well damn, that…explains a lot. All except the intentions of such a choice.

“do..Do we know how to fix it?”

Knuckles gave an awkward smile at that, nervous in its nature as his eyes landed on the scene behind you. It didn’t take much to realize what that face meant. Before you could ask any more questions, a yell from Sticks startles you both, quickly steering your heads back at the source, only to see Amy desperately holding onto one of Sticks’ braids.

“For the love of-“ she huffs in exhaustion, stretching with all her might. “Sticks! He’s just a kid!”

“That ain’t a kid, Ames! That thing, is a..a-“ she seemed disappointed for a moment, gritting her teeth as she says the next words. “a goddamn fox! Literally! He’s been getting on my nerves all day!” the Tails clone in question merely snickered, sticking his tongue out, further instigating Sticks to chase after him, which went all for naught, since Amy yanked her back by her hair once more, and Sticks let out a pained yelp.

“Sorry.” Amy winced.

It didn’t take long for you and Knuckles to finally decide to help, with you grabbing the mischievous Tails and taking the boomerang from him, and Knuckles hoisting Sticks up to his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. She punches and kicks like a child at first, but then relaxes as she sees you successfully grab the boomerang from Tails.

“I hate kids.” She grumbles, exhaustion wearing down her form.

“Wait, Y/n, shouldn’t you be at work?” Amy questioned, and you merely huffed. “Shouldn’t Tails be one person?” you countered with a tease, your tone lighthearted, but edged with concern for your friend. Amy lets out a sigh of her own. “…Right…let’s just wait till Sonic catches them all.” Oh, so that’s what he was doing. Makes sense in hindsight.

“Do we know how many there are?”

“fifty-five.” Sticks groaned. You nearly choked on your own breath.

“Seriously?! He made fifty-five clones?!!” The group tensed from your disbelief, giving sheepish smiles and looking away with a mirthless laugh, one that reminds you of a child being caught breaking something fragile. In this case, a clone machine.

Despite the situation, you couldn’t help but feel amused, holding back your grin and deciding to give them mercy this time.

A zap of blue springs towards the place, bringing two more Tails with him. he stops, putting the Tails on his arms and stretching his muscles. “That’s fifty-four….” He groaned in pain. “I looked everywhere for the last one, but I can’t find him anywhere!” his complaint made you flinch, worry gnawing at you as you try to rack your brain for the missing link-er…fox, in this case.

“Did you check the desert?” Sticks looks up, arms crossed, and sitting at Knuckles shoulder like it’s not the most uncomfortable spot in the world. Is it truly that comfortable to sit on a chair full of heredened muscles?

“Yep.”

“Meh Burger?” Amy hummed.

“Over ten times already,” Sonic whined.

Knuckles' eyes dawned in realization.“What about Hippo town?”

“Ye-“ Sonic stops, sputtering and looking at him in disbelief before facepalming. “Knucks, for the last time, that is not a real place. It’s from a game.”

“I thought those were portals!” Knuckles argued.

“Why on earth would video games be portals to another world?!” Amy rebutted.

“Uh, hello? Because things can come out of TV! duh.” Knuckles' reasoning seemed to be from a horror movie; you’re not sure if he’s seen or not. “Like in the muppets!” ok, first of all, it seems like you were wrong. It wasn’t from that one horror movie, thank god, because you weren’t sure if that was a movie Knuckles could ever handle watching. He’s certainly tough, but evidence tells you that he may or may not break the TV at every jumpscare, possessed by a fight or flight response. Second, how on earth did they have the muppets here? Seriously, where do all these man-made contraptions come from? and last but not least….

“…wasn’t that a dream segment?” you voiced out the third thought in your jumbled head. You remember the movie clearly, partly because it was a tradition for you and Louis to watch it every Friday when you were kids. He loved puppetry and was even determined to revive that franchise himself with Clement's money. You even helped him make a whole presentation and everything…you’re not sure why he suddenly gave up on it overnight.

Knuckles looked at you quizzingly. “ it was?..well, aren’t dreams just segments of reality?” you were about to argue that they’re altered segments of reality, however he continued, yet words seemed lost to you due to the coursing shock you feel from seeing Knuckles speak so philosophically for the first time.“ and they were all static-ish too! Like..that’s totally what happens when you wanna get out of the TV right?” you weren’t sure what to be more impressed by, the fact that he could make a scientific theoritcal point about dreams or the fact that he could so quickly shift the conversation from insightful to tomfoolery. Had you been a neurologist, you’d ask to dissect his brain.

“Knuckles…” Amy groaned and rolled her eyes, trying her best to keep her tone gentle. “Dreams aren’t reality. TV is not a little box filled with actual people.”

“Then how do you explain LIVE TV?” he countered. Your mouth hangs open, disbelief coursing through you as you're adamantly reminded that Tails asked the very same question just this morning. Goodness, this entire day was just a mental workout. It seems like Amy and Sonic are both on the same boat as you, eyes widening in sheer astonishment as you all ponder how on earth you explain this to him.

“Wait, no, he’;s got a point…it’s just like how they use sound waves on TV to control our minds! ” Sticks’ comment added salt to the wound. Sonic grumbles, running a hand through his face as his shoulders slouch.

“We need Tails back!” he complained. “We’re already losing brain cells!” a bit harsher than you’d word it, but he wasn't wrong…you never knew how difficult it was to be the smart guy of a group. especially when a novice and a conspiracy theorist are involved.

“Are you sure you checked everywhere?” You hate to ask this, but you’d take any chance to change the conversation. Sonic nods, his foot tapping nervously at the sand as he closes his eyes. “Every inch of this place. “

“Even Eggman’s lair?” you tilted your head. Sonic stilled, a silence washing over the entire team, Amy’s eyes twitching and fists clenched in pure annoyance.

“You didn't-“ before she could even scold him, Sonic was already dashing away. A strong waft of wind crashes through you all and leaves you in a bit of a cold daze, sand dust swirling in the air and making your lungs swell with a cough. You let yourself grin, giving an amused look to Amy, who merely sighs in annoyance, her sigh melting into a small smile of her own.

“Hey!” a grouchy, brimming with dramatic ego and prideful voice booms above you, a shadow being cast and blocking sunlight from your viewpoint as well. You look up and see a circular, egg-shaped vehicle, impressively floating through the air without issue, carrying the infamous Eggman and Tails next to him. Tails waves at you enthusiastically, as if he's not on the enemy’s plane. “Does this little menace belong to you?” Eggman grumbled, brows arching in a furrowed frown. “He's been terrorizing me all-“ Tails’ hand comes up to tug at his mustache. He gently slaps it away. “Stop that. Ahem, all d-“ the hand comes up again, and Eggman slaps it away with a sputter. “ day with his antic-“Tails' hands come up again, and this time, Eggman catches his wrist and glares at him, a vein threatening to pop from his forehead. “ DO YOU MIND?!”

Tails blinks innocently, eyes clueless and almost innocent in their watch, before his other free hand comes up and picks at the other side of his mustache. Eggman yelps from the pain, glaring at the strand of hair now in Tails’ grasp. He releases his hold to smooth out his mustache with utmost care, all while Tails giggles and jumps at him again, wanting to yank even more strands now.

“NO! get OFF me, you brat!” Eggman opens the cylinder door of his vehicle, grabbing Tails and dangling him off the edge. Your heart rate skyrockets, fearing for the fox's fall, and your friends all get into position to save him if need be. However, Eggman pauses, eyes seemingly scanning the place before he sighs and brings Tails back to the seat, now putting seatbelts on him to stop his tomfoolery. As your nerves come down, and so does the vehicle, Eggman gives you all a scowl. “Mind you, I would have thrown him off the ship had it not been for the fact that he could very well sue me for hospital fees later.”

“….since when did you show up in court?” you couldn’t help but ask.

“Since it meant I could sue others as well!” he gave an evil giggle, making you shake your head in resignation. Then, another thought clicks, making your eyes widen. “Hold on, is that why Sonic never injures him?!” you asked the gang, who all nodded in agreement. You blinked in shock. “…I always thought it was because of morals or something.”

“Well, that and he’s too impatient to sit for court meetings.” Amy shrugged.

“or even jury duty.” Knuckles added.

Had it not been such a precarious situation, you’d ask where on earth the island even had a court, let alone a judge.

“Even I don’t show up to those,” Eggman grumbled. “I think they even banned me from attending.” He hummed. You couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“Why? Because you kept defending the culprits?”

“No! now why would I want more competition in my field?!” he exasperated, only making you question him further. “It’s because I kept screaming that the culprit did do it. They said I ‘disrupt the justice system’ uh, hello? Have you seen my occupation? Why invite a villain to Jury duty and expect him not to be a villain?!” You hate to say it, but he does have a point.

A sharp zipping sound clears the air, another waft of sand dust filling your lungs as you all coughed. Eggman lets out an annoyed grumble while the detained Tails gives a tiny sneeze, hands going up to rub his eyes.

Sonic dusts his hands off, giving a defeated sigh. “Nope. He wasn’t there either. He then froze and gave a mock of a confident pose, failing in its purpose. “Wh-which-uh --- I totally knew because I did check that place before…just..had to revisit it just to make sure….”

“Sure you did,” you rolled your eyes and smiled at him.

“Were you looking for this little freak?” Eggman points to the chair beside him; however, it was empty. Sonic gave him a confused look. Befuddled, Eggman turns his head to the side, letting out a confused gasp as he sees the now-empty seat beside him. You can almost imagine the silhouette lines of the last Tails clone just beeping with a ‘missing’ noise.

Your eyes quickly dart around the beach to the pack of foxes, wondering where it could’ve gone. Your only clue is the patch of mustache hair he acquired. Everyone else follows suit, all giving different lines of distress as they try to find the missing fox, all while Sonic looks at them, confused. “….did I miss something?”

His question goes unanswered, which makes him tap his foot impatiently in the sand, leaving deeper footprints in its wake. You ignore his need for attention and clarification, eyes quickly landing on Pudding playing with free foxes, one of them handing a patch of brown hair and imitating a biting motion. You held back your snort. The clones are getting much smarter and increasingly mischievous.

“He’s over there!” you point out to the rest. Everyone turns around, including Eggman. To his unfortunate luck, Pudding also wags his tail upwards, getting into position and immediately running up to the scientist with a speed that you’d say would almost rival Sonic’s (which you’d be sure he’d scoff at). The dog gives a leap, immediately landing in the car and taking a bite off his yellow scarf.

“WHAT THE—LET GO OF ME!” he grabs the puppy and tries to yank him off, yet Pudding has an impressive grip on the scarf with his teeth, growling in the process. “WHY YOU—I LIKED YOU MORE AS A TINY FIGURINE!” as the man with the robotics PHD wrestles with a tiny puppy, the three Tails laugh and giggle away, one even falling and holding their stomach for breath, clearly enjoying his suffering.

“…should we…do something?” you asked Sonic, unsure of what to make of this situation.

He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it, grinning ear-to-ear and crossing his arms. “Hm?” he hummed absentmindedly, then his brain clicked. Possibly connecting your question to the situation at hand. “..oh! yeah yeah….sure….we’ll do something….” He then smiled for a moment, holding back a snort. “…let’s just give it a few minutes.”

------

Fixing the machine only took five minutes with Eggman’s help, which you were shocked by, since it took one entire hour before the gang decided to save him from the clones of Tails bullying him. You presume he wanted these clones gone more than anyone. The more clones there were, the less smart Tails was, and the more his brain reverted into his species’ basic functions, such as making mischief wherever he went. It was interesting to see ‘Mobians’, as Cameron calls them, have some semblance of biological characteristics in them from their species, even if, in most cases, like Tails, those needs are completely abolished by their own personality traits. It made you wonder, what if Sonic and Amy had the personality characteristics of hedgehogs? They act nothing like the hedgehog you know, hell, you’ve never even seen them sprout out needles, if you could even call those thick globs of..er…hair? that. Mobian anatomy will forever puzzle you.

The giant machine, whom you wondered how on earth did Tails have the time to make in less than a day, whirred and groaned, it’s parts churning and a beat of steam and carbon rising out of it’s cylander and tiny chimneys, shaking a bit like a washing machine before ghiving a ‘ding!’ and opening its metal doors, turning all fify-one Tails into one.

Tails comes out of the machine with a sheepish smile, giving everyone an apologetic look. “…I guess I shouldn’t have gone that far with my work..sorry guys.” He gave a nervous laugh.

“It’s fine, buddy.” Sonic was the first to reassure, walking up to him and ruffling his head. “We’re just glad you’re back to normal. We really missed you.” Tails gave a small, huffed-out laugh at that, seemingly bashful and embarrassed from the compliment, lightly slapping his hands away. “Gross.” He joked, giving him a grin. Sonic grinned back and lightly punched his shoulder. “Good to have you back.”

“You owe me an entire fridge worth of pudding!” Eggman ruined the nice moment with his grumble. Huh, Tails must really like pudding then. This entire day, each clone of him you’ve met has been somehow raving about that. “ I expect them to be delivered at my doorstep by tomorrow afternoon! I have a villainous party to host!”

“…since when did parties have to be ‘villainous’?” you asked.

“Better question, since when did you have friends?” Sonic added.

Eggman burned with fury, his eyebrows furrowing down to a new level as his skin turned red, yet as much as he wanted to speak, shout, perhaps even attack, he then grumbled in frustration, running a hand through his face. “Nope-No. not today. I have a party to host.” He took a deep breath, then turned around, giving Tails one last glare. “Pudding. Tomorrow. My doorstep.” He then left without a word.

“And I expect an apology.” Sticks crossed her arms, glaring at him. “You were a real brat.”

“Oh come on, he wasn’t that bad…” Amy tried to defend.

“One of them-well, him, tried to eat your chapstick!” Sticks countered with an incredulous look.

“In my defense, my brain associated the ‘strawberry flavor’ as an actual indication for food rather than artificial and chemical flavoring.” He then grimaced. “…also, it tasted nothing like strawberries. Tasted more like..dishwasher soap.” You gave a wince at that.

“You also owe Knuckles and me money for a free back and shoulder massage.” You teased, stretching your arms to free up the sudden tensions rising in them.

Knuckles nodded, twisting his own arms as well. “You were surprisingly heavy for a tiny fox…” You were surprised to see a hunk of muscle like him even got sore, but well, they do say to take breaks between weightlifting, and you’ve both been doing the very opposite. You’re already grimacing at the future soreness you’re going to feel. “I don’t want a massage, though. I don’t like the idea of a masseuse therapist talking to my muscles.”

Silence falls in the room, some from confusion, others from disappointment. Tails shakes his head. “Knuckles, that’s not what they do.”

“Then why are they called ‘massause therapist’? Don’t therapists make you talk about your feelings?”

“Yeah, but how do you feel after it?”

“…uh…good?”

“That’s why they call them therapists. Because they make your muscles feel better with some techniques.”

Knuckles scratches his head. Tails sighs.

“You know how, when you rub a sprained ankle a bunch, it feels way better afterwards?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s what they do. just…better.”

“ohhhhhhh.” Knuckles’ confusion evaporates in a millisecond, and Sonic gives a relieved cry, hugging Tails and hoisting him up.

“My god, have we missed you!” he exclaims, possibly dreading the idea of never having a gentle and smart teacher like Tails to help them explain things to Knuckles.“I missed you guys too…sorry for all the trouble I caused.” He had a small, grateful smile on his face, looking at the rest of you fondly. “ I guess all I had to do was just rely on my friends to help.”

“Was this all because of the ‘Awardy’ awards?” you inquired gently, unsure if it’s ok to bring it up. Stails nodded as Sticks scoffed.

“The awardy awards…such a sham.” She brought up, “You shouldn’t beat yourself that hard on it, Tails. They’re all fakers anyway, they’ll never understand geniuses like you and enlighteners like me.”

“Right….” Tails muttered, eyes scanning the rest, possibly pleading to agree with her statement. Putting a conspiracy theorist and an inventor in the same category doesn’t seem right; however, crossing Sticks seems way worse. Ergo, you all agreed, albeit with worried tones and avoidant gazes.

“Still though, thanks for everything, guys.” He gives one last smile before his expression drops a tiny bit, sighing in exhaustion as he takes out a small wallet from his toolbelt, empty and dishonourable. You could almost see the imaginary flying out of it. “..Now I gotta find an entire party's worth of pudding with no money..”

“We could all pitch in!” Amy chirped. “I have some money from my clubs and business ventures, also a huge sum from that interview I did with Chip.”

“I can also help.” You agreed. “though….I may contribute only a small amount since most of it is going for the treehouse reconstruction.”

“Thanks, guys, but….I don’t even think there’s any pudding left at the shop.”

“What do you mean?” Sonic tilted his head curiously.

Tails gave an embarrassed laugh, his tail swishing left and right and avoiding everyone’s gaze. “….my clones may or may not have cleared the entire shelves.” Well, shit.

“Do you like pudding that much?” you couldn’t help but ask.

“Not really…I just really craved it at the time. Anytime I feel upset about something, I just binge-eat pudding cups.” It took all your might not to pinch his cheeks, the urge to coo at his cuteness overwhelming you for a split second. Yet a grin still sprouted from your face, unable to hold back your amusement and, admittedly, relatability.

“Well then, guess we’ll just have to beat up Eggman tomorrow if he tries to attack us for it.” Sonic shrugs, somehow already sitting at a chair far across from where he first was, relaxed and bored out of his mind. Something about that suggestion annoyed you. Not the beating up Eggman part, that was all fine and dandy. The common occurrence. And honestly, sometimes it was the highlight of the day, to see a man with a doctorate in robotics get totalled by a bunch of 20-something mobians (though you do mourn for your own species’ inadequacy), it was something else, something in his tone, laced with pure boredom and a care-free attitude that felt a little too fake. Then, it dawned on you. Sonic’s been running around all day collecting multiple mischief-making buddies. Having to handle only two made you rethink your life choices; you could only imagine how exhausting it must’ve been to handle half a hundred.

With a spark of determination, your brain racks for ideas, quickly finding the switch that turns on your lightbulb. “Can’t we just make pudding?”

Amy’s eyes gleamed with excitement, grinning and placing her hands together. “Yes! That’s it! We’ll make the pudding!”

“..But I don’t know how to make it-“ Tails huffed.

“Oh, hush, I know how to make it.” Amy hummed. “So obviously, I’ll guide you all through the steps.”

“All? Since when were we a part of this?” Sonic groaned.

“Since your best friend could be pummeled to death by a freaky robotics nerd.” Amy glared at him.

“Oh, please,” Sonic rolled his eyes, back stretched out to the chair, one foot resting at the knees of another, hands holding the back of his neck for support. “There’s no way he will. I’ll beat him up before he can.”

The tone still irked you, the small tinges of tired exhaustion that no one else seemed to be picking up. He was pulling out excuses, reassuring, and dismantling any ideas of everyone else working hard and exhausting themselves. Something about it made you scoff. For a guy who tells others to rely on their friends, he sure does hesitate to rely on them right now. But perhaps this was just his exhaustion, perhaps it was his need to be relied on, or…him being used to being relied on. Whatever it was, you could somehow sense that he just wanted to help. He wanted Tails to be happy and unbothered, to be his hero.

‘But won’t he get tired?’ your inner voice mused. aiding in your motivation to find a counterpoint to his argument. As Sonic and Amy continued to argue, all while the rest looked at them like kids with divorced parents, your eyes lit up with recognition.

“Sonic,” your voice cut through the haze of debate, both hedgehogs looking at you, intrigued and confused. Your arms were on your hips, an amused smirk on your face as your eyes glinted with the need to tease. “….do you want to go to court for defamation of promised goods?” If that even was or wasn’t a thing, you weren’t sure. Which only fueled your act more. If you, of all people, didn’t know, then Sonic didn’t have a single clue either.

Sonic’s eyes widened to saucers, a look of horror flashing his face as Amy held back her snort, turning her head back to him. “Well, Sonic? Can you handle another court case?” Another. That word made your grin widen. This has happened before.

Sonic stayed silently still, blinking once, twice, then with half a blink left, he quickly zapped away, electricity buffering the machines a bit as he then quickly came back, leaving small wood debris in his wake. He was now dressed in a chef's coat, a simple white apron, and a sous chef hat, tapping his foot impatiently. “Alright, guys, let’s hurry. We need those puddings out before the lame party starts.”

Amy grabbed the sous chef's hat from him, “Um, hello? This is baking.” She gave him an annoyed glare and a roll of her eyes before putting the hat on herself. “You all are in my territory now,” she then smirked. “Let’s get cookin’!”

---

You cannot look at pudding the same ever again.

After a few hours of grueling, hard work of making over thirty puddings and refrigerating them in any space left within all your fridges, the smell of caramel was burning your lungs, and the saccharine sweet aroma of this gelatin delight will be enough to make you hurl. Today was, in more ways than one, exhausting for all of you. So when Tails suggested a small karaoke night to brighten everyone’s mood, it took no less than a minute for everyone to chime in, quickly leaving the beach and heading to the small, neon-lit building on the far-off shores of the island. First thing you all did was scunge up any food that dared cross your table. Then you all had a few drinks, spinning one of the empty bottles to see who got to sing and lose their dignity first.

Currently, the highly off-key voice of your great inventor, Tails, now and hopefully forevermore, in one piece, pierced through the microphone as he sang his heart out. a love ballad that was clearly supposed to be a duet, randomly picked on the shuffle list you all created for this occasion. You were guessing this was one of Amy’s suggestions.

Sonic was recording the whole thing with a camera, one seemingly made with different parts from scrap, which made you immediately assume it was Tails’ own creation. It was always impressive to see how great he really is with tech, no matter how many times you witness it. Tails was trying not to look at him, knowing he would burst out laughing if he reminded himself of the camera recording his awful performance.

Amy seemed to be trying her best to hype him up, singing along with him and jolting into ‘oof’s and winces anytime his voice cracked, which was all the time. Sticks had her hands blocking her ears, giving Tails a baffled look as he flopped so miserably on stage.

You were sitting across from the two girls, two empty spots belonging to Sonic and Tails on your right, and on your left…

“…where’s Knuckles?” You looked around the room, trying to spot him in the impressively spacious karaoke bar.

“said he needed some quiet.” Amy shrugged absentmindedly. “ he’s probably outside taking a breather.”

You only responded with silence. Knuckles has been quiet for most of the day, especially after Tails came back. If you knew him any better, you’d say he was used. But you could very likely be wrong.

‘…doesn’t hurt to check on him though…right?’ With that, though, you get off your seat, leaving the team to enjoy their well-deserved break as you head out to the bristling cold.

As the icy winds hit your form, you almost envy all your friends with their warm fur skins, unable to feel the stings of the weather like you do. Yet before you can muse yourself with that idea, you see a red echidna outside the shore, sitting right at the docks, throwing rocks into the sea. With no words given, you sit right beside him, all while hugging yourself to provide the warmth.

“…do you get cold that easily?” Knuckles hummed, seemingly not startled by your sudden presence one bit.

“Most humans do,” you shrugged, giving him a sheepish smile.

“right…I forget how fragile you guys are.” He huffed out a laugh, shaking his head before sighing. “…must suck.”

“..it does, sometimes.” You nodded, but then shrugged, eyes glued to the shimmering sea, shining like a sapphire jewel at the dead of night. “…but most of the time…it’s not our weaknesses that stop us....” Your eyes trail off to him. “ …it’s our own lack of confidence, you know? like we’re so zoomed in and focused on our faults that we never even think about our strengths.” You then let out a puff of air, the cool winds turning it into a white, almost transparent smoke. “…buttt I think that that’s not just a human thing…”

“…what do you mean?” Knuckles’ eyes furrow, as if trying to decipher your words. You gave an apologetic smile, deciding it’s best to avoid riddles and cut straight to the point.

“….are you…upset about something?” you gently asked, your heart fearing for the worst reaction.

Yet, Knuckles just stayed quiet, hesitant and slightly frustrated, as if his mind was trying to form the words necessary to discuss his feelings. He then shakes his head, shoulders tensing slightly. “No. just thinking.” You knew it was a lie, but who are you to force someone to confess their true thoughts and feelings when you dismiss them as well? Still, despite not knowing much about Knuckles, you cared about him nonetheless. So with the utmost hesitance, you put a hand on his shoulder, scooching a bit closer.

“….if you ever need someone to talk to…” You cringed at your own cliché line, but went through with it anyway. Knuckles stayed quiet at first, then broke into a small, subtle smile, eyes drifting from you to the glimmering sea.

“….I don’t really talk….” His words made you falter for a second, already trying to stammer out an apology and ‘never mind’ while you dig into the sand and avoid social interactions for the rest of your life. But as quickly as he dismissed your suggestion, he then added, “—But I do like to fight them out.”

You looked at him with slight bewilderment, eyes blinking awkwardly as your once caring and comforting pose shifted into an awkward and nervous one. “….well…I mean…if you won’t kill me during the fight…” Knuckles snorted at that, even if you were dead serious about it with your fearful voice. You’re so sure Knuckles could grab a man by the head and throw him to space with sheer strength alone. “…I guess I can help with that.”

“Really? Get up then.” His sudden, authoritative tone made you flinch, eyes widening as he got up.

“Wait, what?”

“Come on. You wanna cheer me up, right?” There was something so peculiar about his tone. As if he’s challenging you to keep your word. Daring you to keep your honor. It reminded you of warriors from tribes defending their honor by sparring to the death. His eyes were steeled, sharp, no longer the dazed guy who didn’t know the difference between movies and reality. It made you question why on earth anyone would think Knuckles is dense when he gives people that look in a fight. You gulped, nervously playing with the hem of your shirt, wondering what the fuck you get yourself into, and why you’re sweating so much.

“….this feels like a threat.” You managed to finally squeak up, briefly looking him in the eye before fearfully darting them away from his inquisition. You heard him bark out a laugh, cracking his knuckles and neck, the shattering sound of bones contrasting to the soft, melodic waves behind you.

“I’m not gonna kill you.” You don’t believe him one bit. even if he is stating it like a common fact. “ I just wanna see how genuine you are about cheering me up.”

“So I have to beat you up to show that I care?!”

Knuckles gave a loud laugh. “Please, you couldn’t even land a punch on me even if you tried.”

The snarky comment made your eye twitch; now glare at him. “I thought you were upset! Why are you suddenly in the mood to bully me?!”

“Because you’re fun to mess with.”

“Fuck you?!!!”

Knuckles couldn’t seem to hold it back anymore, holding his stomach as he burst into a laughing spree. Your face flushed in embarrassment, wallowing in your self-pity and shame before feeling your own body buzz with enthusiasm as well. Weirdly enough, this dumb argument was….nice. It felt fun. Comforting.

“Guess that makes me win, right?” You crossed your arms, giving him a smile with a raised brow. “I cheered you up.”

“Hm? Oh no no.” he tucked away a few tears from his eyes. The jackass was having so much fun messing with your tears got into his eyes. It made you want to beat him up, affectionately, that is. “ I still wanna spar with you right now.” You mentally spoke too soon.

"Seriously?!” you babbled out. “But I can’t even—“

“It’s fine. Just come at me with all you got!” he reassured, already hunching and crouching down into a defense position. This made your nerves flare up even higher now. “You gotta have some grit in you! I’ve seen you get into a flight or fight mode before!”

“Yeah, but I usually choose flight.” You reasoned.

“more like recklessness.” He said with a daring grin. Your jaw dropped in disbelief. You’re no fool. You know what he was doing. It’s a technique any fighter of his caliber would use against an opponent. Smack talk. Which means, he’s dead serious about this fight. With a click of your tongue, you finally get up, dusting off your hands as Knuckles cheered you on. You get closer to him, trying to imitate his fighter stance, but failing miserably and shifting into a common stance you’ve seen in movies. Both fists up and defending your face. You were certain it was wrong, but you didn’t have the expertise to fix it.

“Alright, so how do we exac-WOAH—“ your voice died in your throat as you ducked, dodging a punch that Knuckles threw at your head. “What the- you didn’t even state the rules!”

“Since when did fighting have rules?” Knuckles grinned, doing small jumps, readying himself for another sucker punch. “It’s all about technique and combat. When you’re in the arena, you gotta expect the unexpected!” he swings again, you dodge to the side. “—make the impossible possible!” Another low swing, another hasty jump and dodge. Yet this time you were scrambling at your feet, while he effortlessly moved like the harmonic waves behind you. “— and think faster than your opponent!” he swings, yet this time, you’re too late, and it hits right on your shoulder, making you puff out a grunt as you land on your back, pebbles and sand prickling your skin as you groan in pain. You could hear his slow footsteps as he approaches you, his silhouette casting a shadow under the moonlight. “and most importantly,” he smiles down at you, giving a hand for you to take. Same one he almost sucker punched you with. “You must uphold the honor of warriors and respect your opponent. Never look down upon them.” You gave a tired, pained sigh as you took his hand, getting up slowly and sitting down.

“So those are the rules.” You still dared to quip.

“No..more like,..” his eyes look upwards for a moment, holding his chin deep in thought before he gives a satisfied smile. “..etiquette.”

“…doesn’t etiquette mean rules?”

“You’re impossible.” His grumble made you snort, giving him a light punch to the shoulder, mentally noting the impressive wall of muscle it was.

“I’m just curious! I wanna get my facts right since I have to prove my sincerity to you by fighting now.”

“Who's the fighting expert here? You or me?”

You bit the inside of your cheek, looking away a tad flustered. “….you.”

“There, so whatever I say goes.” He ruffled your hair, then grinned at your shocked reaction and put you in a headlock instead, despite your myriad of protests. He gave you a heavy noogie, basically ruining your hair and dignity at the same time. When he finally lets you go, you’re both in small fits of giggles. He stretches out his arms as you take out a pocket mirror Amy has given you and check your hair in it.

“….So…” you close the cap of the mirror, tilting your head at him. “Has my sincerity been proved? Or did my loss in the fight mean I failed?”

Knuckles smiled, nodding his head. “It’s been proven.”

“…and…do you feel better?...”

He stays quiet for a moment, expression unreadable as he looks up to the stars, searching for something you can’t quite see. You wondered, what’s gotten him so upset? And will you ever be close enough for him to feel comfortable sharing such a burden? As worry chews out your heart, a bit of the ache stops when you notice his small, reluctant smile and short nod. “….a little.” He hummed.” But you need to get better at fighting if you really wanna cheer me up. That fight was too short.” He then gave you a snarky smirk. One that truly ruffled your feathers. “I went easy on you, you know.” This little shit is getting too cocky for your taste. Sonic has rubbed off on him, too much.

“My shoulder still feels sore from that punch!”

“That’s just because you have noodle arms!”

“Says the guy with noodle legs!”

“The hell did you say—“

As the bickering continued to a nonsensical end, at some point, knuckles taught you the proper defense stance in a fight, all while you both purposefully got on each other’s nerves to see who would rage quit first. You tease Sonic all the time, however, with Knuckles, it’s less teasing and bravado and more venting out frustrations and annoyances without worry of the other one taking real offense to it. Conversations with Sonic were always fun, adventurous in their nature, and energetic in their buildup, just like him. But with Knuckles, it was more emotional; strangely, it was more familial. It felt like you were bickering with an annoying cousin or older brother. Someone who drives you crazy, but you still care about him more than anyone else at the moment, and he understands that quite well.

You could see it in the way he was smiling at you. like he’s grateful you came to check up on him.

----

“You’re gonna stay here?” Amy looked at you, concerned, one arm easily holding Sticks on her shoulders like she weighed nothing. If both Amy and Knuckles can lift this badger, it’s either that she’s as light as a feather or they are just incredibly strong. Most likely the latter.

“Yeah,” you nodded. “I wanna enjoy the nice breeze first. It’s so beautiful here.” Your eyes gleam as they look at the sea beside you, the cold air of winter blowing the trees and rustling the sands beneath your shoes, the water glimmering like stardust, and the seafoam bubbling up to the shore like stray pearls.

“…alright…” Amy pouted, then frowned with concern. “You know the way back, right? do you want me to stay with you or-“

“Amy, relax.” You chuckled, giving her a tiny hug and pat on the shoulder. “I’ll be fine. I’m not a kid. Go get some rest.”

“...fine,” she grumbled in reluctant acceptance, her eyes glancing at the still very much asleep Sticks. “I gotta take her back to her house first.”

“…how about you just take her home with you? I can sleep on the couch.”

Your suggestion made Amy smile, giving her thanks as she bade you goodbye, walking on the far-end path to her house. You went back to the shore, sitting by a swaying palm tree as you welcomed the waves as your songbird for the night.

You could hear footsteps crunching on the ground, a familiar voice calling you out. You turned around, seeing Sonic, who had a confident smirk on his face, and beside him was Tails, hands behind his back, his twin tails failing to hide his excitement.

You chuckled, getting up from your spot and walking up to them, the cold wind brewing again and making you rub your arms for warmth as you reach them. “You called?”

Tails bit his lip in excitement, his tiny fangs showing as he ecstatically nodded his head. “Close your eyes and give me your hand.”

Your eyes widened for a moment, looking at him, confused and amused. You look at Sonic for any sign of confirmation, and he gives you a nod and a boisterous, confident smirk. “C’mon, we don’t have all night!”

You hesitate for a moment, but then shrug and decide to play in, extending your hand and closing your eyes shut, feeling Tails attach something slightly bulky on your wrist, a fine elastic fiber wrapping it all together. “And….” Tails seemed to be playing with something on the bulk; you could still feel slight tremors of his taps on the thing as it passed through you.“Open!”

When you opened your eyes, the only thing you could support was “….what?”

A small, flat-screen, watch-shaped machine wrapped nicely around your wrist, the screen showing a picture of you being hoisted up by the rest and holding out the ‘games championship’ medal, smaller icons invading the lockscreen, all with different styles of a call, a chat system, and most importantly…

You tap the melody icon, your heart beaming and spreading out as you see the shuffle list. “Are these…all the songs I had on my phone?...” Your voice nearly broke, fingers quickly swiping lower and lower, disbelief blocking your throat.

“Sonic told me you’d like it.” Tails mentioned absentmindedly, as if he didn’t just give you the greatest gift you’ve ever received. “We wanted to give you a way to communicate with us if you ever got kidnapped or lost again…this way, you can just contact us with a click of a button. Oh, and I also installed this cool feature where you ca— are you crying?!”

You didn’t even feel the wet drops cascading down your face until he mentioned it. Your body was shaking, yet you didn’t think it was from the cold anymore. Your throat burst with a tiny sob, your mind screaming at you to shut up with the sob fest while you tried to wipe your tears away. “S-sorry—I just—I don’t know what’s gotten into me---“ you sniffled. “This is just…so nice….and you it’s not even—“ your throat clogged up again, your memories flashing past you in milliseconds.”…it’s not my birthday or anything special. There was... There was no need to go to such lengths for me.”

“Why wouldn’t he?” Sonic asked incredulously, his arms crossed as he looked at you. “You’re our friend. Obviously, we’re gonna give you stuff you need. We don’t want you dying on us, doc.” His teasing voice made you laugh a bit through your tears, your heart that was stammering with indescribable grief and overwhelming chaos, somehow calming down a bit from his reassurance. His eyes ever so slightly softened, putting a hesitant hand on your shoulder. This is the first time you’ve ever seen him so slow with his movements. “…doc, you know you can talk to us, right?”

Tails nodded, looking at you concerned. “Yeah..is it the gift? Do you not like it?” his ears seemed to twitch, so close to drooping down to a dejected fold, though Tails seemed to stop it mid-action, trying his best to hide away his own emotions. However, it was too late. You already noticed. You always do, because those small shifts in emotions, the hiding, the acting, it’s something you've been doing your entire life.

You wonder if Louis ever knew you were acting, too.

The thought made your lungs burn aflame, another fresh roll of tears wrecking you as you looked away, ashamed. “No, no—I love it. I truly adore it.” You gave them a cheerful grin, a giddy smile on your face as you looked at them, your face now a bit red and puffy from the crying. “I…I just never got a gift with no notice like this…” Even with Louis, you never received something without it having strings attached. He never gave gifts just to see you smile. That was never the point of them. It’;s what you wanted it to be. Never the truth. Louis grew up to be different from the kid you once knew. He grew up learning that the world itself is a business, and transactions are survival. He treated you like some lady he’s been courting, without even giving you any warnings. Every gift wrapped in guilt, every wish feeling like a contract. You knew he didn’t realize it, didn’t notice how his own way of thinking isn’t normal at all. perhaps if you were more confident, perhaps if you were more brave, you could’ve called him out sooner, you could’ve saved him from spiraling into such ludicurous and delusional madness that he even swears vengence on you for a simple no. had you had the guts like you did today, had you had the urge to help Louis like you had Tails, none of this would’ve ever happened.

You could’ve saved Louis. And the very thought of that breaks you.

You were ordered to be his best friend, yet how could you even dare to call yourself that when you didn’t try to save him? When you acted as fake as everyone else around him, just better at your game, smarter at your role? Your mind berates you, mocks you as you let the tears roll down, whatever words you try to form turning into incomprehensible gibberish as you hold the T-watch close to your heart.

‘You don’t deserve good friends. You don’t deserve this.’ Your thoughts cling to your skin like a leech, sucking out the blood from your body, leaving you helpless in the shivering cold. ‘You don’t deserve the love. You don’t deserve the care. Who's to say you’re not faking everything right now? Who's to say you’ve left the role behind?’

‘he did everything for you. he trusted you. You are the true villain here. You are the heartless one.’ The voices wouldn’t stop, you couldn’t even comprehend the two friends’ voices any longer, your eyes glued shut, your tears running high as you try to take deep breaths, sputtering into a breathless spree.

‘You deserve to be abandoned—‘

A warm, soft fabric drapes across your shoulders, your hands quickly grasping its hems and becoming an anchor. The soft fuzz and smooth cloth bristles against your fingertips, warmth spreading through your body as you wrap it around yourself like a second skin. It took a few inhales and exhales of deep breath for you to regain your footing and open your eyes once again.

“I’m sorry.” You choked out, head hung low in shame. You wish you could bury yourself deep underground, never to be seen again. You never thought you could break down like this. You believed you had a strong grip on your heaping mess of emotions. Does one singular gift really set you off this badly?

“Are you okay?!” Tails’ voice is finally audible to you now, crouching down beside you. you hand’t even realized you were on your knees.

“You gave us a huge scare there.” Sonic sighed in relief, kneeling to look you straight in the eye. Seeing the two of them be so concerned for you only made the dark pit in your stomach churn and twist harder than before. “What happened, exactly?” you broke, that’s what happened. You cracked and gave them a taste of the good old broken and messy Y/n you keep locked in your mind. But of course, you weren’t going to say that; you weren’t going to ruin the good relationship you had with them by revealing the ugly truth.

“I’m fine.” You try to ignore the piercing stabs in your throat, the ones echoing your fear of the truth. No matter how much you gulped, the dryness latched itself on its caverns. “…I-I just….” Sure, no lie can get you out of this, although who's to say a half-truth wouldn’t, if you dismiss the other half? “ ….l-like I said…I never really got things without any strings attached.”

They both seemed content with that answer, albeit still worried. Well, it’s not every day someone busts out crying like a wailing baby over a smart watch as a gift. The very image of that makes you want to gouge your own heart out from sheer embarrassment. Sonic most likely thought you meant your family, since you did speak to him briefly at the hide-and-seek hunt. Tails though? You weren’t sure of…you never told him anything specifically…however…

Before you could even stammer an end to this conversation, Tails’ ears perk up in realization.

“Is this about Louis?” he blurts out without notice, your panicked expression making him shiver with panic as well, partly forgetting the presence of Sonic beside you two. You gave him a desperate look, one that you were sure easily spelled out to ‘please.PLEASE. do not tell him a WORD.’

The ever-so-confused Sonic blinked blankly at you two. “Who?”

Tails gives a small wheeze in the likes of an inflated balloon, his mouth clearly working faster than his mind at the moment, desperate to intervene yet still looking for an answer.” Um—Sonic….could you…” his twin tails swish up and down, his ears dropping a bit low as he looks away with a guilty expression. “…do you mind giving us some privacy?”

Sonic’s eyes widened at first, a retort stuck in his throat, before his eyes landed on you. He turned speechless, gazing at you with such intensity you almost felt like a murderer being interrogated in a small room. His eyes soften, a breathy sigh of acceptance leaving him as he nods and turns around, giving you both a two-fingered salute. “…Text me when you get home.” He turns around for a split second, eyes landing on you. “Both of you, I mean.” With that, an electric hum zaps the air as he zips away, leaving you, Tails, and the shores all by yourselves.

You took the brief time to peer down at the blanket given to you, all while you shifted into a more comfortable sitting position. The blanket was a pastel blue, with small strands of blue hair stuck to some sides, invisible to the untrained eye. When they make contact with your skin, a small electric current courses through you, like a jolt you get from touching a power socket.

Tails had seemingly sat down cross-legged beside you, his twin tails wrapped around him, providing little warmth. With no words given, you extend the blanket, giving him the other end of the soft fabric and scooching closer, now wrapped together in warmth. He hummed in gratitude, one of his Tails wrapping around your waist, as if he were offering his own warmth to you as you did for him.

“….I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused you today.” Tails mumbled, knees tucked under his chin. His frown deepened. “…and..for accidentally snooping through your files…” his ears lowered completely now, no longer being held back by his self-control. “…anndddd for making you cry.” He winced, muttering something you could only guess was a beratement to himself, given how it was attached with a grumble.

“..you didn’t cause me trouble.” You began, your voice soft as you mindlessly drew things on the sand beneath you. “….you didn’t mean to snoop,” you drew a small animal with pointy ears. Not exactly a cat, but not quite a fox either. You swipe it away. “ and you’re not the reason I cried.” You look at him with fondness, bringing a hand to ruffle his head. “….I have to be the one apologizing to you. I shouldn’t have overreacted like that.”

Tails stayed quiet, though there was a faint blush on his cheeks from the ruffling, ears turning sideways as his fingers tapped the ground. “….do you…wanna talk about it?” he added. “about him?”

You felt a parasite swirl up your body all over again, your body tensing a bit as you looked away, wiping away your eyes before any tears prickle down.

“…not really..” you sighed, then quickly corrected. “In general, I mean, it’s not just that I don’t want to talk to you about it. I just... don’t want to talk about it at all.”

He accepts that, replying with a short hum. You believed this would be the end of it, that the small answer could provide all the necessary context given. However, you’ve forgotten a key factor here. Tails is an inventor. His entire function is to question and seek answers. Thus, he quickly asks a follow-up.

“…can you at least tell me why you cried?” It’s the one you’ve been avoiding this whole time, the one he had every right to ask while you had every right to dismiss. Your guilt wouldn’t let you shove him away, just as his curiosity won’t let him leave it be. Thus, you muster up the energy to give an answer that would satisfy you both for the time being. A compromise of sorts.

“…..I felt like I…was an awful friend.” Even now, as you confess something so little, so minuscule to the true problem, you feel your hands shaking, your voice on edge. “…Louis…” saying his name out loud after so long made you bite back a sob. Who knew your very own best friend would be the cause of your suffering? “….” You open your mouth to speak, yet no words can come out. All that we had were tears and a small apology before you wiped them away again.

Tails was quiet, silent as he viewed you. he turned his head around to the sea, tail still wrapped around you, a hand now on your shoulder, squeezing gently.

“….a bad friend wouldn’t carry a clone of me on her back while holding another clone’s hand.” His words made your breath hitch, your mind’s words slowly dimming away. “…a bad friend wouldn’t have helped me make a dozen puddings. Wouldn’t have even thought about how Knuckles is doing and…” he shakes his head, a scoff leaving him as he smiles. “A bad friend wouldn’t be a person Sonic can’t stop talking about.”

The last one sent a jolt through you, one you couldn’t quite pinpoint with what emotions it was specifically laced with. Whatever it was, it felt like butterflies flapping their wings in your stomach. “….wait, really?”

Tails doesn’t answer that, eyes landing back on the sea and head now resting on your shoulder, letting out a tiny yawn. You relax your body, wanting him to feel comfortable as he closes his eyes, sleep overtaking his basic functions.

“….I don’t know who you were back at your home..but right now…you’re the kindest person I know, Y/n.” his sleepy mumbles made the voice in your head vanish, as if cold water splashed all the negative thoughts away. He seemed to get sleepier with every word. “…you…are a great friend…”

“…goodnight, buddy.”

You rest your head on top of his, looking at the T-watch on your wrist and tracing the colorful wristband slowly, a genuine smile unintentionally forming on your face.

-----

The hammock was, weirdly enough, not comfortable to sleep in at the moment.

Sonic shifted from left to right, put his pillow from one side to the other, and even drank a glass of milk to aid him in his quest for some rest, yet no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t sleep a wink. His eyes were glued to the T-watch on his wrist, blue in its shade and perfect in its symmetrical square. He kept logging back into the chatrooms, ignoring the spam mayor Fink sent him, passing through the weird conspiracy theory videos Sticks has reposted (he doesn’t even know HOW or WHERE on bygone island does she find this crap.), and mischievously spams Knuckles and Amy with memes he knows they’d hate and roll their eyes at. He doesn’t doomscroll usually; however, a nagging voice in his head kept urging him to check and do his routine every five minutes, and he knew exactly the reason why.

The newly formed and joined account of his doc sits empty, a husk of empty space, a giant emoji waving at him and suggesting to send the awful sticker as a way to start the conversation. Who on earth even uses those anymore, other than elders? Neither she nor Tails has texted about coming back. he bit the inside of his cheek, the tip of his foot tapped against the wooden pole holding his hammock together, tilting left and right to let the hammock fall into a comfortable swing as he wondered whether he should go back or not.

Finally, before he could overthink and mull over the situation more, a green circle blared on your account, which still lacked a proper picture. He made a mental note to remind you to take one for yourself later. And to not let Amy take control of the situation and somehow turn it into a photoshoot. The last thing he wanted was another friend group photo where they all wear matching clothes like a family on vacation. He shivered at that thought.

Y/n: Are you awake?

Sonic T.Hedgehog: If I say no, will you let me sleep?

Sonic’s message goes ignored as you send him a picture of your current position. Tails’ head was resting on your lap now, sleeping soundly with no care for your frigid muscles no longer.

Sonic T.Hedgehog: Wow.

Sonic T.Hedgehog: trying to make me jealous, doc?

Sonic T.Hedgehog: That’s cute.

Y/n: NOT what I’m talking about.

Y/n: he’s been sleeping like this for TWO hours now.

Y/n: I can’t feel my body. I think my legs are asleep.

Sonic T.Hedgehog: Then go to sleep.

Y/n: I can’t.

Sonic T.Hedgehog: But your legs already are!

Y/n: I will KILL you.

Sonic snorts, an unabashed grin on his face as he quickly types in the small, holographic keyboard that sprouted from the screen.

Y/n: Can you just come over already?

Sonic T.Hedgehog: Nope.

Sonic T.Hedgehog: You have to ask nicely.

Y/n:….

Y/n: Come help me carry Tails back to his workshop, or I’ll kill you.

Sonic T.Hedgehog: I said nicely.

Y/n: Come help me carry Tails back to his workshop, or I may or may not kill you.

Y/n: Please.

Sonic rolled his eyes, trying to ignore his own enjoyment of the conversation.

Sonic T.Hedgehog: Why are you threatening to kill me? Aren’t vets supposed to heal animals?

Y/n: Oh, so you admit you’re acting like a little bitch right now???

Sonic T.Hedgehog: EXCUSE ME?!

Sonic couldn’t hold back his own choke of laughter, gasping in disbelief at the sudden shift of the conversation. Without even realizing it, he was already off the hammock, shoes tied up, as his eyes were glued to the screen.

Y/n: do NOT test me, speedy.

Y/n: I am sleepy.

Sonic T.Hedgehog: Yikes, since when did you get so bossy? Tsk tsk…

Sonic T.Hedgehog: Ames is rubbing off on you. I can’t call you doc anymore. I gotta call you bossy doc.

Y/n: Please never call me that.

Sonic T.Hedgehog: Doc bossy???

Y/n: THAT’S EVEN WORSE?!

Sonic T.Hedgehog: Doctor bossman!

Y/n: pretty sure that’s a character from a cartoon.

Sonic T.Tedgehog: How many cartoons did you watch exactly? Why do you know so much? Don’t you literally have a job?

Y/n:….

*Y/n has blocked this number. *

Sonic chuckled, closing the chatroom and stretching his legs, eyes on the road as he sped through the Island, reaching the other side. He immediately spotted you two; the blanket he gave was completely wrapped around Tails instead of you, despite you being the one with the lack of fur.

You sighed in relief as you saw him, giving him a pleading look that made him bite back a laugh.

“At least someone is getting some good sleep.” Sonic huffs, walking up to you. You shush him quietly, urging him to stay quiet.

“ouch, doc,” he whispers, acting hurt. “I give you my blanket, I come at the dead of night to save you from the sleeping baby dragon hoarding your treasure—“

“Since when was a furry blanket a treasure—“

“Let me finish— and this is how y—wait—“ he sputters, looking at you with amusement and offense. A look daring in its nature. “ furry?!”

"Yeah. It was full of hair.” You gambled on the lie, grinning from ear to ear. “You shed like a dog.”

“I do not!” he spouts out in his hushed tone, holding back his own giggles as you both try your best not to wake Tails up. “You’re so mean to me, Doc. I thought I was your friend.”

“You are my friend.”

“aww—“

“My very annoying friend.”

“I hate you,” he said with a smile.

You couldn’t hold back your own. “Love ya too, speedy.” You winked. He rolled his eyes in response, walking up to you with careful steps as he helps you lift Tails without a hitch. You did feel a tad guilty for asking him to do this, wondering if you should apologize to him about it or not. You’re also feeling guilty for apologizing so much. It must be annoying to live with someone who just knows how to be a bother—

You stop yourself. You take a deep breath. Ignore it. Ignore the negative voice. unless you want to start sobbing for the smallest act of generosity again.

“How are you holding up?” you asked him in a whisper. He looks surprised before he answers.

“..shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?” right. of course. He did see you sob like a baby now, hadn’t he?

“…I’m better now,” you shrugged, glancing back at him as you both slowly walked. You knew he could just speed over there. A part of you wondered why he’s still here with you. “…but you seemed pretty tired today.”

“Oh?...then why did you ask me to come over here?” his question made your heart drop, eyes flashing with guilt as you looked away.

“shit- sorry I didn’t—“ your stutters made him pause and look horrified as well, as if he was the asshole here, when in reality, it’s you. right? At least, that’s what your mind is telling you right now.

“No, no no- that’s not what I meant.” He hissed at himself, tapping his foot anxiously on the sand. “I..I don’t mind that you needed my help.”

You were silent for a moment, wondering if you should dare to speak up or not. With a shaky sigh, you bite the bullet. “I didn’t.”

“Hm?”

“I didn’t need your help.” You blurted out, energy, excitement, nervousness, and anxiety, creating a messy cocktail in your gut. “….I just wanted to see you.” You could’ve asked for anyone. Knuckles, Amy, hell, you’re sure even Sticks would’ve come to help if you really needed it, but out of all of them, you asked Sonic, because the truth was, you’re..happiest when he’s around. You’ll never admit that to the cocky bastard, of course. Never out loud anyway.

Sonic blinked, silence taking over the space. You swear you could see the faintest of blushes blemishing his cheeks as he clears his throat and looks anywhere but you. “Well, obviously you wanted me,” he’s trying so hard to sound confident that you feel bad for noticing the crack in his voice. the slight tremor of nerves, only you ever seem to see. “I’m just that awesome!” he puffs his chest out with pride.

“Yeah. You’re like my very own jester.” You couldn’t help but poke the bear. Well, hedgehog, in this case. He snorts at your retort, his free hand punching your shoulder lightly. “Shut up, princess.”

“Oh? I thought I was doc.”

“You are.”

“But I’m also a princess?”

“You’re the one who called me a jester!”

“doesn’t mean you gotta play into it!”

He was rendered speechless at that, clicking his tongue and giving you a begrudging smile as you win the petty argument, a big grin sporting your face. He rolled his eyes. “Whatever makes you happy, doc.”

“spoken like a true jester.” You chided, putting your hand to your mouth to hold back your swarm of giggles as he glared at you in disbelief. He can act like he’s offended all he wants, even if both of you knew he thoroughly enjoyed this. It was obvious from that smile. From the way his pace tried to match yours despite the slow speed you walk in, taking in the scenery before you. A peaceful, lovely silence takes over your walk as you idly look at and adore every natural beauty this island has to offer near its shores, all while never noticing Sonic’s unwavering gaze on you.

When you finally reach the workshop, Sonic huffs in relief, shoulders slouching a bit. “…can’t believe Tails was asleep for the whole walk here.”

“Actually,” a sleepy, groggy voice grumbled from behind Sonic’s back, getting up slowly, staggering as he came down to ground level, landing on his feet with a frown. “I was awake the entire trip here.” You both fell silent, unsure of how to respond. A hurricane of emotions drowned your heart: shock, embarrassment, slight guilt, and a nauseating amount of flusteredness. You weren’t even able to glance to see how Sonic was reacting to this, all eyes glued on the sleepy fox as he pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. “You two are soooooo gross.” He ran a hand through his face, eyes squinted and sleepy. “ I swear, I could almost smell the cheese of it all.” he then yawned like it was nothing, opening his workshop’s door. “Thanks for the free ride home. G’night, weirdos.” Seems like Tails gets cranky when he’s sleepy, a sentiment you both shared.

You purse your lips, suddenly feeling your throat go dry as you look at Sonic, baffled, who was giving you the same look back before you both burst into flustered laughter.

------

When you went back home, you expected to be greeted with dimly lit halls and sounds of soft snoring. Perhaps a pillow or two on the cozy sofa, a blanket, and a tray of cookies that were practically a part of the décor now.

What you didn’t expect was your door being wide open, with its curtain window swirling within the breeze, looking like a haunted ghost playing dress up. something was up. Your hunches were prickling your skin, curiosity taking the best of you as you entered your room with a tiny, quiet knock to the door, and saw no Sticks in sight.

Well, that’s concerning.

“Sticks?” you whispered, not wanting to wake up Amy in the other room. No reply. Your heart leaped a bit in worry. You look at the ground, noticing the faint pawprints of a large creature, a mobian, if you will. With a sigh, you grab a blanket, nearly imagining a day when you do finally get financially stable enough to buy a coat rather than doing this. As you follow the footprints outside to the gardens, you could almost hear a faint ‘shriek shriek’. As if someone is digging. Far outside the fences of Amy’s garden. With a bit of hesitation, you jump over the fence, noticing the trampled bushes and following them deep in the forest. You’re certain those were not from an animal. You follow the trail, pushing bush after bush, the voices getting louder until you hear a familiar, wolfish whimper, an orange four-legged animal tilting its head curiously at you, all while Sticks digs for something using Amy’s shovel.

“Sticks?” Your voice cut through her focus, making her look up at you, startled, before relaxing once again. “…what are you doing out here?”

Sticks scoffed, motioning to the fox with her shoulders. “The little brat you wouldn’t let me kill messed up my sleep.” She huffed, taking up more strength and digging deeper. “told me there was something important here. “ told? Since when could she speak to animals?.....that definitely intrigued you.” I swear to god you brat,” she glares at the fox. “If I find out it’s bear poop or something, you’re gonna get buried alive!”

The fox gives a snarky puff in response, quickly running up to you and nuzzling his head on your knees. You chuckled as Sticks grumbled, leaning down to give him a scratch under the ear, hearing him purr in pleasure. Your eyes trail to his now healed leg, smiling at him. “…seems like you’re all good to go, little buddy.”

“Yeah. You heard that, you mangy fox?” Sticks grossed. “You can leave. Stop freeloading on my territory!”

You tried to hide your laugh with a mock cough, though the little fox seemed to catch it, a small, mischievous smirk on his own face as he skipped to Stick’s side, puckering his legs up and starting to dig. “Oh, so now you decide to help. At the very last minute.” Sticks let out a growl. “How thoughtful of you,” she strained out with obvious frustration.

The fox ignores her, digging out the rest of the remaining dirt.

“I can do that too, you know.” Sticks pouts as she mutters to you. “ I just didn’t do it cuz I knew Ames would give me an earful if I came back to her house all muddy and dirty.” You gave her a comforting pat on the back as you smiled sheepishly, knowing that she was most certainly correct about her foresight.

The fox gives a tiny chirp, kicking out something from the dirt. It seemed tiny, bulky in its weight, and dirt covered its every crevice. Despite the growing protests of your two companions, you grab the object and dust off its dirt.

“I’ll wash my hands by the sea.” You reasoned with them.

“You think Amy is gonna let you come back in with wet hands?!” Sticks’ rebuttal falls on deaf ears as you swipe the last of the dirt fibers, holding out the object to the moonlight, giving everyone a good look. A small, rectangular object with three buttons on it. one red and the other green.

“…it’s a remote.” You hummed.

“It’s trash.” Sticks grumbled, looking at the fox. “You woke me up and dragged me here to find some trash?!” The fox shakes his head in disappointment, sticking its tongue out to Sticks, quickly running away and hiding behind you before she grabs him. Sticks clicks her tongue and stays motionless, cussing him out quietly.

“…do you think it still works?”

“Probably not.” She replied as you hand her the remote, inspecting it carefully. “…I’ll give it to Tails tomorrow. See what he can do.”

“Right…” you dust yourself off, your face scrunching up in disgust as the dirt sticks under your fingernails. “…alright. Let’s go wash off and doze off, you comin’?”

“On my way.” Sticks answered, yet her eyes seemed to be scanning deeper into the forest. You and the fox retreat to the gardens, with you muttering to it about needing to find water nearby. Sticks holds the remote up high, eyes scanning every detail in the tiny gadget. She knew the basics of this thing. Green means open or start. Red means lock or stop. But what's this white button do?....

With a confused hum, she clicks the white button. Something ever-so-briefly flickers in the distance. She jolts, eyes scanning the entire forest. She clicks the button again, yet nothing happens. She gives a grustrated grunt as she hits the button multiple times, all to no avail. She gives up with a sigh, putting the remote in her pocket.

“…wasted our time for nothin’.”

Between the trees and forest’s might, a bright light shines in the distant night. A crooked place with its doors shut tight. A dark room now lit with bright lights.

---A/N----

Dear god. Where do I even begin?

IMMEDIATE question. Was this chapter good? Did the quality stay the same or improved? If it even worsens, please do tell me, since I’m genuinely scared of losing my talents in writing somehow.

Alright. Now for the actual author’s note.

HELLOOOOO EVERYONE!!!! Welcome back!! Guess whose alive and kicking!!!

Well, well, well, as you all may have guessed, I’m apologizing for the long hiatus. Funnily enough, this time it wasn’t caused by personal issues only. Oh no no lmaoooo. My country literally went to fucking war. I haven’t had internet for like 80 percent of the year because they decided the best way to respond to protests and wars is to turn off all sorts of communication with the outside world! huzzah! Now you may be asking, author, if the internet is shut down, how on earth are you talking to us right now? Well, it’s hard to explain, especially to someone who's never faced something like an internet blackout before…buttttt let’s just say I have my ways, of which have cost me way too much money and sanity, and I may or may not actually lose my mind if the internet doesn’t come back in like, a month or two. ALSO I’d rather shoot myself than pay for something like ‘internet pro’ or whatever they’re calling it now. So no, I’m not connected via that.

Imagine FOUR months without internet. Couldn’t be me… (it is me.) I literally almost got kicked out of all my socials because they thought I was dead or smth. I don’t usually enjoy bringing politics into an author note about a Sonic X reader fanfiction; however, I feel like I need to remind you, dearest folks, that I, in fact, am not doing this shit on purpose. My hiatuses are long and chaotic because there’s not even a SINGLE peaceful day where I live. Anyways, fanfiction shall still prevail! Nothing can stop me from updating my fics! Not even a war lol.

To anyone whose reading this and is even the slightest bit affected by our world politics, I hope this fanfiction has brought you a brief moment of respite and joy. I hope it makes your day a little better, just like how you all and your lovely comments always make mine. Honestly, the worst part about the blackout is that I wasn’t able to go back and read all the lovely comments you’ve sent me anymore. Those were like my daily doses of serotonin. I just read them and giggle and fangirl and work quicker and faster so I can update with the best quality possible.

Also, dear fucking god, this chapter is the longest one yet. 25k words. Woof. Sorry about that lmaooo. I hope you liked it!! Please tell me any thoughts, input, opinions, or even criticisms you may have!! I’m always looking to improve my writing!

Oh, and during the months I’ve been forced out of a connection, I spent an entire two weeks planning out every single chapter’s plot point for Stranded. Every single one. My God, was it satisfying. Now, anytime I want to write a chapter, I don’t have to spend a bunch of hours thinking ‘ok but HOW do I make this engaging AND move the plot AND the character development AND—“ perhaps that’s why the fic got so much longer this time too. Planning out the plot threads beforehand really helped me get a clearer chance to extend everything and not just hastily wrap it all up like before.

So yeah, your input is really important here, because I’m dying to know if I improved since I left, or if I flopped and dropped. Again, be honest, because I do want to improve, and I can take a few hits if needed!

I hoped you liked the interactions with the rest of the group! I have much, much more planned for all of em’ , and I even had to cut a part from Knuckle’s section and keep it for the next chapter instead, lmao. We’re FINALLY diving into the good stuff! muheheheheh

Anyways, with a new chapter comes a new question!

Which game would you love to see Sonic collaborate with?

For me personally, I know that Sonic already had a collab with CRK, which was all great and lovely! I just wish the Sonic team did more of these nowadays. With the big hit that was the Sonic x CRK collab, you’d think they’d give this collab thing a bigger shot. I think lore-wise Sonic would be a great fit in the HSR universe. A bit out of the loop, I know, but who else would be perfect for a world like Planarcadia? I can almost see the dynamic duo, Trailblazer and Sonic would’ve been….the great camaraderie and accidental bromance Shadow and Dan Heng would’ve had, and of course, a baddie meeting another baddie, Amy and March 7th, tearing up the town…sniff sniff…it could’ve been so perfect… just imagine Eggman and Sampo somehow teaming up. Good lord, the comedy of it all. THE COMEDY OF IT ALLLLLL

Don’t forget to like, kudos, heart, or whatever the three sites I’m going to post this to, but most importantly, don’t forget to comment!!! They always make my day!!!!

See you in a better tomorrow!

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