A/N: The italics represent Tails' thoughts (But that's kind of obvious -_-')
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Tails awoke in a cold sweat. Glancing at his clock he realized he had only been snoozing for an hour before being roused. He was sure he had heard someone downstairs fumbling around in the kitchen and had already puled back the bed covers. An icy draught swept across the floor, freezing his toes and the sound of heavy rain bounced off his window.
Stepping into the hall Tails braced himself, prepared to fight the intruder with a baseball bat in hand. Step by step he edged towards the stairs, dark shadows being cast up the wall. Swallowing and taking a breath, the fox began to descend the stairs, pausing with every creak. Finally arriving at the foot of the staircase, Tails slowly peered through a gap in the door to see a faint light shimmering from the fridge door.
What sort of burglar breaks into someones house to raid the fridge?
Relaxing his guard a little, Tails pushed the door open and squeezed through the crack. The sound of clanking and ruffling hit his ears as he closed in on the culprit with a tight grip round the bat handle. He was about to knock the thief unconscious when Sonic suddenly emerged from his refrigerator, slurping from a carton of milk. Sighing, the fox dropped his arms and hunched over, allowing his heartbeat to slow to a steady pace.
"Sonic, what are you doing here so late at night?" Tails quizzed.
Sonic replaced the milk and wiped his mouth clean with the back of his hand, "Hey Tails, I need a place to stay for the night." He motioned to the window, "Rain's too much for me to handle."
Tails fumbled for the light switch, blindly walking into the wall and smacking his nose in the process.
"It's okay buddy, I can find my way in the dark. I'll just camp out on your couch tonight." Sonic said before closing the fridge door and heading into the living room. Tails grumbled whilst rubbing his aching nose. At least now he could get some peace and quiet.
It wasn't unusual for Sonic to drop by every now and again, especially when the weather was bad. Usually he just slept beneath a tree or found a dry cave to nap in but the rain was particularly bad tonight and it was no surprise he wanted to mellow in the comfort of a sturdy house. Though it was small, Tails' home was cozy and welcoming and he always tried to keep it neat and dust free. It was his haven away from the cluttered and dirty workshop below, stained with oil and scattered with numerous pieces of scrap metal.
Clambering back into bed the little fox pulled the covers back over his body and lay his head down on his pillow. Sonic was like an older brother to him and Tails cared about him very much. However, he wasn't without his flaws and this was one display of Tails' pet peeve, namely barging in without permission and scoffing down his food. Tails sighed once more and then turned over to drift off to sleep.
A crack of thunder stirred Tails, who opened his eyes to view the dark clouds overhead. It seemed a storm was brewing and that meant Sonic would most likely be staying for another night. The house was quiet yet chilly and Tails shivered as he headed into the kitchen to make tea. Grabbing two mugs from his cupboard, Tails flicked the kettle switch on and headed into the front room finding Sonic sprawled across his couch with a knitted quilt covering him. Fiddling with his old style fireplace, the fox lit some logs and squatted before the spreading fire for warmth.
"Hey buddy," Sonic mumbled as he sat up. "Is that the kettle I hear boiling?"
"Tea right?"
"Right." Sonic nodded. "By the way, it looks like there's a storm brewing. Guess I'll stay here until it dies down, kay bud?"
"Sure." Tails said, defeated once more.
Minutes later the two friends were sat opposite one another, Tails in an armchair and Sonic on the couch, sipping tea. The logs on the fire crackled as they burned, blanketing the room in a pleasant heat. The peace was interrupted by Sonic's stomach growling loudly.
"Say Tails I'm getting a little hungry, you don't by any chance have any chilli dogs in do ya?"
"You want chili dogs for breakfast?" Tails asked cynically, watching as Sonic scratched his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, stay here and I'll go and cook you some."
Sonic sat back and placed his feet on Tail's mahogany table, closing his eyes and letting out a slight yawn. Meanwhile Tails set to work cooking his friends breakfast, muttering under his breath as he complained about Sonic's intrusion. Sundays were a day of rest and now that Sonic, his ever demanding pal had arrived, Tails was sure he would be running errands constantly.
"Hey Tails!" Came Sonic's raised voice.
"What!" Tails screeched back.
"There's somebody knocking at the door."
"Well open it then!"
Tails huffed about opening and closing cupboard doors, turning on his oven and preparing the plate when Sonic's voice interrupted once more. "Tails it's Knuckles, he wants to speak to you."
Tails threw the towel he was holding down and stomped into the living room. Sure enough Knuckles was stood in the doorway, holding up a hand to sheild the wind and grimacing intensely.
"What Knuckles?" Tails asked scornfully, surprising his friend.
"I need to ask you a favour."
Tails stood before him, looking stern and serious in an intimidating manner. "Well?" He began tapping his foot impatiently.
"I don't normally mind sleeping on the ruin steps but the rain is so severe that I'm cold and damp and my dreadlocks are sticking together. Can I stay here for the night?"