Here's a Christmas gift for my friend MokusoftManager58. They have a KnucklesxTails guilty pleasure and I feel childhood sentimentality.
I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog, it belongs to SEGA and TeamSonic. I just grew up off it. Looking back Sonic it the very foundation of the fangirl I am now~
Tails looked at the work station he had set up. He had moved the coffee table against one of the walls and laid down a tarp to cover the carpet, set out plastic bins filled with red, green, gold, and silver glitter, water, and glue respectively, had stacks of red, green, goldenrod, and white construction paper, paint brushes, bottles of paint, paper plates for pallets, scissors, and anything else he'd need to make homemade Christmas decorations. He smiled as he thought of this being the first year he would carry on his childhood tradition with his boyfriend; before it was with his best friend and brother Sonic. He drew Shadow, his rival turned lover, into the annual craft session when he moved in with them, but Tails had moved out to live with his own boyfriend now. Because the tradition was so precious to him he refused to let it go.
"Whoa... What's going on in here?"
Tails looked at his boyfriend smiling, "It's for making homemade Christmas decorations."
A red eyebrow arched, "Lemme guess, you and Sonic always did this since you first met."
"That's right Knuckles." Tails nodded as a soft expression overtook his face "Moving around all the time it seemed pointless to buy decorations. So whenever Christmas came around and we settled for a while, he'd buy this stuff so we could make our own. Now it's a norm for us, and I want to keep it going with you."
Oh could those sky-blue eyes get any brighter? The echidna couldn't bring himself to say no to his kitsune when he looked like that! So with a resigned sigh he went over to the tarp and sat across from him, "So what do we start with?"
The blinding smile that crossed Tails' muzzle told him he made the right choice. The younger looked beautiful when he was happy.
"First I'll teach you how to make paper snowflakes." Tails picked up a sheet of white construction paper and Knuckles did the same "First fold one corner down to the opposite edge until they line up, and cut off the extra so we have a perfect square."
After they got their base they folded them again and began cutting the edges at different angles; Knuckles was copying Tails really. When done they unfolded the papers showing their snowflakes; the young kitsune had to smile at Knuckle's first try coming out nicely.
"Next we use a brush to spread glue over them for the glitter." They picked up brushes and dipped them into the glue filled bin then brushed over their snowflakes carefully on both sides, and laid them in the silver glitter setting them aside to dry after shaking off the excess.
They kept making snowflakes until all that was left of the white paper were the strips they cut off.
"Now, with these we'll make a paper garland chain to go around the tree. We'll cut the other colors until we have enough of each the keep the patter even. After we have them linked up we can add the glitter to them."
"That will make it look festive." The echidna chuckled as they started.
After making the chain they brushed each ring with glue and began covering them in glitter. They mixed up the color scheme in a burst of creativity; red on green, gold on white, green on goldenrod, etc, but never matching them like red on red and so on. Knuckles was actually enjoying himself; he never had a reason to actually celebrate and enjoy the holidays because he was kept busy guarding the Master Emerald on Angel Island, so this was a nice change.
After the chain they cut up empty egg cartons and made tree ornaments, strung beads on pipe cleaners to make little trees to sit on the tables and mantel, and icicles to hang around the edge of the windows. Once done with the project they decorated by hanging the snowflakes from the ceiling and hanging the ornaments on the tree then cleaned up. Knuckles had to admit everything looked amazing.
"We will be doing this again next year." He said nuzzling the top of Tails' head making him purr.
"I knew you'd like it."
Knuckles then smirked, "Oh I did. I even made something else." He picked up what looked like some paper in a randomly shaped pile and held it over the kitsune's head "Turns out paper mistletoe isn't so hard to make."
Tails giggled and pulled to the other down to kiss him. It was slow and warm, full of gratitude from the hours they spent together making their crafts and using them to make their home beautiful, love from the years they had spent together as friends and more, and pure, raw joy.
This Christmas was their next step in a new life with old traditions to share and pass on.
Oh god I just know this could have come out better...
What do you think Mokie, readers?