Knuckles had picked up woodworking as a hobby, and Tails was more than happy to help the guardian with what little knowledge he had on the subject. Of course, his expertise was more closely related to machinery than lumber, but Tails was good with his hands and that's where he could help.
"Hey Tails, can you pass me that drill over there?" The red echidna asked without looking, holding his hand out and grabbing the air impatiently.
Tails was behind him, taking a look at all the tools that Knuckles had prepared for himself. Some of them looked rusty, and should probably get some work done on. The fox looked up upon hearing his name and nodded.
"Y-yeah, right away, Knuckles." He picked up the drill next to him and held it in his hands, staring at the tip of the drill and noticing how sharp it was.
He thought about how easily this device dug into the surface of wood, and how soft and weak his own body was in comparison. If he wanted to, which he didn't, he could very easily stick the drill against his body and turn it on. One click of a button and knuckles would have to call the hospital. Even worse, what if he pressed the drill up against his eye?
He once read that the famous scientist, Issac Newt, pushed a long needle into his eye socket, right between his eye and bone. He almost went blind in the progress and had to stay in a completely dark room for a long time afterward because of that. He could do the exact same thing right now if he just pushed this long drill into his-
"Tails. What are you doing?"
Tails broke out of his trance as Knuckles called his name once more. He realized he was staring at the drill with the tip only inches away from his face. To anyone who isn't in the known, that's the last thing you want to do with something dangerous like a drill.
"Oh uh...I don't know. I guess I just got lost in my own thought. Here's the drill." Tails shrugged it off as if nothing was wrong. Knuckles responded in the same way, shrugging and turning back towards the birdhouse he was working on.
Tails no longer had the drill in his line of sight, but his mind was hyperfocused on the drill. The more he tried to not think about the drill, his mind fought back and made him think about it even more. It was a complicated sensation, but explaining it and trying to rationalize it to himself was even more complicated. He himself had no want to shove a drill inside his eye. He had no rational or emotional want or need to do so. Despite that, his mind kept thinking of and picturing that drill in between his eyes. His mind wasn't even telling him to do it, it just kept reminding him of what it would be like. How painful it would be. The fact that someone in the past had even done such a thing.
These thoughts, completely separate from his own will, took up every part of his thought process. It was as if they were made somewhere else and barged into his brain without his permission. Tails gripped his hair, struggling to understand why this was happening to him or why his mind was acting in such ways. None of this made sense, and he was struggling because of it. It just wasn't fair.
"I...I'm gonna leave for now, Knuckles. Sorry." Tails got up and walked out, heading back towards his apartment.
"Yeah, sure little buddy. You've already helped-" The door was shut behind him, and Knuckles didn't even get a chance to finish what he was saying. "Enough…" Knuckles trailed off, confused by what just happened.
Tails left Knuckles' home and made his way back to his apartment. Several years ago, Sonic and Tails had realized that the privacy and peace they got from living in the ruins were no match to the benefits of living in the city. As a result, the two packed up and moved to an apartment in Station Square. This had all happened around the time Tails turned 12, and it had been 4 years since that happened. Time moves faster the older you become. That was one of the many things Tails had learned in the last couple of years.
However, there is always a moment in time that refuses to move faster than any other. In moments of great distress or pain, it's always as if time stops and the world wants you to experience that for another moment longer.
Tails shuddered as he walked down the cold winter streets of Station Square. Invisible blades cut through his wrists bit by bit with each step he took, and the razor-sharp wind dragging across his body made the fox shove his hands in his pockets.
The poor hero looked up, seeing the white cloud that came out of his lips caused by the cold air. He shook his head, pushed his hands deeper into his last layer of protection, and hoped that would be enough to ward off the invisible pain.
His pace became faster as he made his way back to his apartment.