Tag 54 – Robotnikland
Title: They Grow Up So Fast
When Sonic had his birthday, there was a party to celebrate, and Tails built him a flying bike out of parts found in the city dump.
When Tails had his birthday, he didn't even know it until Sonic shook him awake and said, "Tails, Tails—wake up! Wake up, Tails! It's your birthday!"
"H-Huh? What?" It took a minute for Sonic's words to register in Tails' brain. From what he could see of the sky, it was just after dawn, and Tails was just sleepy enough so that Sonic could have said anything and going back to sleep would have still seemed like a better idea. Still, Sonic didn't seem inclined to let him; instead, he dropped a wrapped gift on Tails' lap, and as Tails rubbed the sleep from his eyes to get a better look at it, Sonic practically vibrated with energy.
"Happy birthday, little bro!"
"Happy . . . what?" Tails sat up and stared at the gift before he looked to Sonic with a frown. "Happy birthday? But-But I don't have a birthday."
"Sure you do," Sonic said. "Everyone has a birthday, or else you wouldn't be here." Tails scratched his ear, his head tilted in confusion.
"But I've never . . . I don't remember my birthday. We always just guessed my age based on how old I was when we met, and how many years it's been since then."
"Yeah, I know. But you decided you wanted to celebrate my birthday this year, right? You got me a gift and everything. So I figure it's only right if I return the favor."
"But—"
"And I worked out the timing—did the math and everything. Maybe this isn't exact, but it's close enough for your birthday. A good enough pick of any." Sonic grinned, and threw out his hands to indicate Tails and the present sitting on his lap. "So ta-da! Congratulations, keed! You're officially five today!" Finally, as the words and situation sank on, a slow smile started to spread on Tails' face.
"Five, huh? But this is all based on a guess, right, Sonic? So really I could be any age." Sonic's grin faded a little.
"Well, yeah, that's true, but—"
"I could be six," Tails said. "Or seven. Maybe even eight." Sonic caught on, then, and though he rolled his eyes, a little smile was playing on his own lips. "Maybe I'm even nine! Or ten! Or twelve! Or—"
"Whoa, time out!" Sonic raised his hands in a placating gesture, and Tails closed his mouth, though he was still grinning. "I never thought I'd say this, but slow down, li'l bro. You're growing up fast enough as it is. I don't think we need to worry about you being twelve just yet. Five's enough, don'tcha think?"
"Heh, yeah. I guess." Tails placed his hands on his gift, though he didn't open it yet, and instead kept his eyes trained on Sonic. "So, what're we going to do today?"
"You just wait. I've got the whole thing planned out." Once again, Sonic was practically bouncing with excitement, and even if he wasn't excited about potential birthday shenanigans, Tails felt excited that Sonic was so excited. "I don't want to spoil the surprise, but believe me when I say that both skate and theme parks are involved, and that there will be more cake than you've ever seen in all five years of your life."
"Way cool!" Tails paused, then, and his smile became a bit more bemused. "But can we really do all that in one day?" Sonic scoffed.
"Are you kiddin' me? Have you forgotten who you're talking to? We'll have it done in half a day if I have anything to say about it. So go on, open your present! Once you see what it is, we can get started." Sonic winked. "And if it's any kind of motivation, I'm thinkin' cake for breakfast."
"Oh yeah, sign me up!" Tails said, and immediately set to shredding the wrapping paper of his gift as Sonic laughed.
Notes: Because we already had an episode about Sonic's birthday, and Tails deserves a birthday too.
