This was officially awkward.
After discussing a plan with Knuckles, they had decided to wait till dinner to implement it. On the plus side, they discovered many new things about Tails.
According to echidna, he was terrified of thunderstorms, it kept the child up at night. Thankfully, Sonic usually came to the kit's rescue, by either inviting him to his bed or exchanging a long comfy hug. The fox was also very submissive, usually agreeing to what anyone told him to do, never second-guessing or questioning the task. Knuckles had never heard Tails brag or boast about his intelligence, only ramble about his inventions. (He was even self-conscious about that) Funnily enough, he never openly said his opinion in a matter, like he wasn't entitled to one.
Another helpful bit of information. Tails is only 8 years old! What?!
That was far by the most surprising part. He acted so polite, concealed and too awfully mature. Most kids his age were running around causing mayhem, playing with toys, begging for candy!
Not Tails. Knuckles said his 'toys' were inventions, blueprints and tools. "I can agree that the fox is very knowledgeable, but isn't clever enough to figure out the basics of self-care. Such as rest."
--
"Sonic! Tails! Dinner!"
The credits rolled on the screen, Sonic perked up, rubbing his stomach. "Awh, that's a relief. I'm famished!" The hedgehog elbowed his fox friend out of a trance. "Come on buddy, let's go eat. You can tell me about the movie later."
Tails didn't move a limb, he was deathly still, staring at the TV screen.
"Tails?"
The fox slowly turned his head around.
"S-sonic?... Do you-?" He quickly closed his mouth, the words trailing off his tongue. Tails slapped his forehead, using his paws to cover his eyes.
"Do I...?" Sonic inched closer, pulling him into a side hug, he lowered his tone to a whisper. "What was that?"
Tails embraced the hug, gulping. He met eye to eye with his friend. "Do you think-?" That Mr. and Mrs. Wachowski are mad at me? That Knuckles likes me? That I'm annoying?
"Still can't hear you~!" He sang, it sounded condescending but truly that was how the hedgehog showed acts of affection, he wanted to know.
Don't cry, don't cry, please-
"Guys! Come on! We need you here!"
Sonic smirked, rubbing his finger against his nose. He leapt up from the couch, checking for any damage in the piece of furniture. He guided his eyes to look at the worried fox, who was tugging at strands of fur.
The hedgehog had heard Tom and Maddie's talks, Tails had serious anxiety.Honestly, he wasn't to blame.
The way he described his previous lifestyle, was enough to make even the hero burst into tears.
It was brutal, cruel and unfair. Sonic had declared, if he ever went back to Mobius the first thing he would do was personally have a talk with each villager.
Sonic lowered to just below the fox's knees, grabbing the distressed kit's palm. "Y'know, I used to struggle with stuff like this too."
He was beady-eyed, sniffing. "I know, but you were so brave. I'm not."
The hedgehog gasped, fleshing it out, he sprung a surprised face. "You? Not brave?! That's some kinda joke, right?"
Tails fidgeted with his digits, legs dangling from the couch, swaying back and forth. "It's not, if I was brave. I wouldn't be watching you from the comfort of my chair back home. I would muster enough courage, to suck up my breath and go out- to meet you. The only reason I came to find you because I heard Knuckles was on your tail. A-and... if he killed you..." he took a deep sigh. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself... I- I- couldn't watch what you were doing anymore. It's- it's- so selfish- I'm sorry..."
Sonic was going to decline the essay and give it a big fat ZERO, but now wasn't the time. "We'll talk later, 'Kay?" He grabbed his friend's wrist, dashing to the kitchen in record time.
"Woah! You weren't going to start without us, were you?" The hedgehog drooled at the pyramid of chilli dogs stacked in the middle of the bench press. "I call dibs!"
He whizzed over, plumping his behind onto a kitchen stool, Knuckles gave him a look of disapproval, Sonic signed a what?!
The couple were too endorsed with the two bickering teenager's argument about- they didn't even know at this point, that they finally noticed a strangler.
Tails was still near the divider that spilt the two rooms, cautiously unsure what to do next.
"Tails, you can come up here too." Tom walked around, tapping at the vacant stool, conveniently next to Sonic. Each tap made him more and more nervous, his sound-sensitive ears picked up each beat, magnifying it tenfold.
The voice(s) were distorted, incomprehensible to the mind. His consciousness zoned in on that horrid rhythm, he didn't know it was possible to be so concentrated at a measly sound.
Someone roared, loudly, it was a morphed blur running towards him. It was jittered, scattered. His chest pricked, breathing hitched. Tails' fur became engrossed with fresh hot sweat, the tapping had turned into disturbing thumping.
His environment changed, he was in the woods-?
"Tails!" The call was distant, echoing through the tall trees. He gasped, in a armful of tears and snot, a laughing crowd surrounding him.
He was tightly secured in the grasp of someone, he kicked and thrashed, pleading with them. It became audible, it was breathlessly freaky, he was re-living a travesty.
"No! Don't! Leave it, please!! I won't- I won't disturb you-- anyone! Please!" He shrieked at the boy in-front of him, holding a wooden cub above his head. Ready to strike down at the metallic object buried in the mellow grass.
"Shut up!" He was punched in the ribs, spluttering a watery cough, tears fluently spilled down his muzzle. He watched his creation, repeatedly being tarnished by the brute, bystanders nearby were observing the incident in amusement.
"NO! STOP IT! STOP! YOU'RE WRECKING IT!" Another punch aiming dangerously low, he winced, hyperventilating.
He tried to see the situation through a thick coat of liquid, he let out a blood-curling yell, certain he scared off some poor flickies.
His agony was tested with laughter and glee. He was shoved head-first into the ground, eating up some grass. Tails' face was mushed harshly into the dirt, suffocating from the lack of oxygen.
He tasted the minerals of the earth.
"Get this, you ill little freak of fucking nature. You will never amount to anything in your miserable pathetic life." They spat in his face, kicking him anywhere exposed and left him.
He sobbed, snot dribbling down, his fur was bristled and muddled with twigs. The cub searched for his invention, finding it poor condition, wires dangling out and metal dented.
He threw it across the terrain, in anger, dissatisfaction and shame. It skidded along the dirt, rolling on the edge of its sides, before spiralling down with a clunk.
Tails felt the warm summer air, brush through him, adding more sweat to his thick yellow coat. He choked a sob, wobbling to his knees, feeling it's swollen surface flare up. He gasped, looking over his body, plastered with bruises and gashes. He had a serious scrap along his forearm.
He sighed in dismay, banging his head low, trudging along the cobble pathway, leading away from the village.
--
My motivation for this story is slowly crippling away..