"sonic?" tails walked up to the attic, even though maddie said that he should stay on bed rest for a week or so, but he was becoming bored. so as he held onto the bandage upon his shoulder, seething because of the pain with each step he took, the young fox reached the top of the ladder glancing around. "you up here?"
hell may have no fury like a bride scorned, but sonic’s pretty sure his boredom could give her a run for her money. grounded. for starting a fight, and instigating another fight, and worst of all: teaching the youngest a swear word. which was an accident! and, to be fair, the folks did take that into account— he’s only grounded for two days instead of the whole weekend. yawn! ( which he does. ) blue blurs around the room, going through his stuff a second, third time— there’s nothing here he hasn’t already done / read / played with more times than he can count, but sonic wachowski is nothing if not adaptable! thus, he picks up a wayward flash comic, and kicks back to read it for the thousandth no, wait, this is return; make that millionth time.
the telltale whirr of a police siren, perks his ear at first, but is quickly dismissed; tom’s already home, and he knows wade turns it on for just about anything. ( there’s voices downstairs, but nothing he can make out— probably just some townsfolk needing their gutter cleared again. not that he can go down and check, anyway. ) attention returns to his comic, and stays on his comic— ...for a good while, actually. huh, woulda thought tails’d be home by now.
not to worry; because right then, as if on cue, he picks up the telltale creak of somebody ascending the attic stairs. finally! “ where ya been? man, i thought i was gonna die of b— ”
his eyes makes contact with the fox, and for the first time in his life, sonic feels everything just STOP.
tails— oh dear god, tails.
he moves before he can process doing so; reclined in bed one second, at his brother’s side not even a full one later. tails— tails looks horrible. there’s a bandage, tight around his shoulder; clearly maddie’s work, and the only reason he isn’t bleeding out. ( and even then just barely. ) sonic reaches out to touch— tails hisses at the contact —and yanks his hand back like it’s been burned. ( blood seeps through the bindings, stains the yellow of tails’ fur. stains the white of his glove. )
it takes everything in him to shove down the rising bile.
“ h— wh- what?— ” a thousand questions, but he cant will his voice to ask even one of them, caught in his throat as the air feels punched from his lungs; speechless.
it was— it was a trip into town—
tails had just gone for a walk ——
“ tails— ” moving to support his weight. careful to avoid the wound. the touch is feather-light, like tails is made of glass. like he’ll shatter at the very contact. words are still a stranger, but sonic still tries,
“ w— ” past the nausea in his stomach, the dizziness in his head,
“ wh— ” the sudden onset weakness he feels, but ( bullet? stab? he doesn’t know, he doesn't fucking know ) wounds aren’t contagious,
“ wh— ” where did you go? why didn’t you call to tell me you were in danger? why didn’t anyone tell me you were in danger? why am i only finding out my brother got hurt because he’s limping into my room? what happened? what fucking happened!?
...and suddenly, clarity. everything else falls away under the weight of the only inquiry that actually matters. his breathing has evened out, but it hasn’t slowed. a grip on his thigh so tight that, if you could see his knuckles, they’d be white. ( he lets go of tails as he feels the electricity building. he doesn’t need to look to know there's sparks between his fingers. )
the fire in his eyes is electric blue. sonic wills what’s left of his self-control to restrain his voice into an artificial calm that fools absolutely no one.
“ tails. who. did this. ”