Waiting for a friend – part 2
The more he had been listening to the film the more he had thought the ridiculousness of it all. Of course, the magma was the cause of the only few plants that grew around and yeah, the earthquakes was because of the amount of pressure that was in the mountain from the lava that swirled around. It was the same concepts that were on the island, there were different plants growing around Lava Reef than in Marble Garden Zone and Sandopolis Zone. It all made perfect sense! For being a documentary about Mobius, they surely didn't know that much.
He sighed to himself before taking another sip at the half-cold tea, his other hand still resting on the shoulder of the sleeping form in his lap. For the moment he let him sleep, letting him gain some energy before he would wake him and ask him to fly him back home. Though he noted that it was pretty dark outside, his eyes scanning the windows to look for the moon when his gaze caught a clock in the kitchen.
He had no idea what the long one meant, but the short one was almost hitting the one, meaning that it was close to one in the night. He had no idea that, that much time had passed and now didn't wonder why the kit was sleepy. He had no idea how to raise children, but remembering Sonic promptly telling the fox to go to bed when he was younger at early hours.
Now that he thought about it, he had no idea where the hedgehog had gained knowledge about that kind of stuff, although he blamed a lot of it on experience rather than knowledge gained from somebody else. He had sometimes wondered why he had even let Tails tag along, as a four-year-old was not someone who you just easily took care of. Or at least that was what he thought. Age was a weird thing to him, as it didn't really seem to count in some ways.
Tails was incredibly independent and seemed way older than he actually was, and the same counted for Sonic. He was thirteen, running around on his own, owning a plane, and practically adopted another person, like he was some sort of adult. He himself was fourteen, though he really didn't think age mattered to him at all. Being on the island alone you had the responsibility of taking care of it alone whether you liked it or not. He didn't have a choice of becoming a guardian or not, he was it and now he needed to live up to that title. Kid or not. Though, sometimes, the age mattered in situations where he found himself not knowing what to do.
He had taught himself a lot of things and didn't seek out help if he needed it, though he could stumble up on problems he needed to think about in order to solve. The same counted for Sonic, when he stood in situations where he needed to make quick decisions and could only rely on his child brain and instinct. The same counted for the fox currently in his lap, the action alone being a testament to him being six. The youngest of them, and yet, sometimes he wondered if he was the most mature of them all.
His eyes focused back on the movie when long sentences of text began rolling down the screen, a lot of weird names that he had no idea what meant going past him. Not knowing what to press in order to switch to something else on the controlling device, he simply sat and watched as the screen faded to black. Then a new picture happened, and a new documentary rolled around, the announcer saying something about the rock formations in Mystic Cave happened, what kind of rocks where there and how the caves came to be. He sighed, thinking that the reason that the documentaries rolled around at this time was because no one wanted to watch them.
He briefly wondered if he should wake Tails now, when a sound escaped the fox's throat and slightly moved his arm, a deep breath escaping through his nostrils. Glancing back at the clock he eventually decided that it was too late for him to get back, feeling his own eyes becoming kind of heavy, suppressing a yawn that was about to escape him. He really didn't want to fall asleep with the fox still laying on him, mainly because he was scared that he would accidentally hit him or something in his sleep.
He had had many bouts with Sonic, fighting and throwing punches and smart remarks towards the hedgehog but he had never gotten in a fight with Tails. He knew it was because the fox first of all knew that he would lose and second of all that Knuckles was strong. He was stronger than Sonic when you counted arm muscles, relying heavily on his fists rather than his legs whenever being in a badnik fight.
Taken another sip of his tea, he had expected the movie to start with someone mentioning the rocks, or Tails moved a bit or that his leg would start getting tired, but he hadn't expected the front door to open without someone knocking. He wouldn't admit it, but the echidna jumped a bit from the sudden sound, sloshing the tea around in his mug but not on the fox underneath.
His eyes swirled around towards front door, where the sight only managed to crack a scuff from him.
There he was – the blue hedgehog, free-spirited, casual and took-things-as-they-came had finally decided that he wanted to come back.
He had apparently not noticed him yet, as he had walked over to the counter and opened the fridge, his head glancing towards the clock. Taking something out of it, he screwed something off on the top of it, before tilting his head back and took large gulps of it. A satisfied sound left him as he placed the bottle back on the counter and took his hand and rubbed his temple. Knuckles was watching the whole thing, slightly amused that he hadn't noticed him yet, even took the courtesy to sip the now more cold than warm tea.
The hedgehog then shook his head, before he finally turned on his heel, eyes looking into the living room. The first thing he saw was tiredness, then it disappeared into alarm, quills rising in the back of his head for a couple of seconds, until he calmed down again, spikes going back down in his back.
"Knuckles? Wha- What are you doing here? You're the last person I expected to see," He said, his tone having an edge of panic to it, from seeing someone that wasn't supposed to be here. The echidna hadn't prepared himself to answer that question to Sonic, and therefore swallowed his lips, looking back down at his tea. His eyes went back to the hedgehog, but he apparently wasn't waiting for his answer as his face was wilting into surprise, until a sigh escaped him.
He realized that he must have realized that Tails was there, as he began walking over from the cooking area to the living room. For a moment he thought, about shoving the fox off now, mainly because he didn't want to be called a 'fluffy pillow' or something, but Sonic's face held so much awe that he didn't seem to be in the mood. Standing beside the echidna, he crossed his arms over his chest, looking at the yellow head that was cradling himself.
"He's grown a lot," He chuckled in a lower volume, as he must have seen that he was sleeping. Knuckles could only nod to that, having seen the changes in the fox as well the minute he had opened the door for him.
"So, have you," The echidna threw out there, looking back at the hedgehog. His quills had gotten longer, his emerald green eyes looked like they had a tad bit darker edge to them, and his fur seemed a bit darker as well. He might have gotten a bit taller, but there were clearly more muscles adoring his thin legs, hidden behind the blue fur.
"He told me that you have been gone for three months," He said it in the most neutral tone he could muster, as it wasn't his attention of making the hedgehog feel bad. Which he didn't, as he only nodded to the statement, smiled when the fox scratched his nose in his sleep.
"I've been everywhere. Man, I gotta tell you all the trouble I've been in. I've saved a village chief from a volcano, hitting one of Eggman's fortresses and I ran all the way through Dust Hill without getting lost," He laughed at bit at the memories clearing running around in his mind, before returning his gaze back to the echidna.
"You still didn't answer my question. Why are you here? It's not like you to just drop by," Now the echidna was ready for him, as he had modified his original version, not one to tell him 100% what happened.
"In the winter, the island has strong wind currents. I was swooped off my feet without being able to control my glide and was thrown off the island. I landed here and came to ask for a ride home, but instead Tails asked if I wanted tea," He replied, taking another sip at the tea he was almost done with. If Sonic thought that his explanation still was a reason for jokes, he didn't say anything, simply letting his eyes rest back onto the sleeping fox.
"He missed you," Knuckles could confidently say that without being called a liar later. The way that Tails' gaze had been gone in memories and his face slightly sad looking from when he had defended the hedgehog, saying that it was okay because then Sonic was having a good time. He had seen that face before from whenever he had been left alone with him, only for the maximum of two hours or something, when he went ahead and scouted for something.
"I know he does," Sonic answered, biting his lip. "I also miss him. And you, knucklehead," He smirked, playfully punched his shoulder, well-knowing that the echidna couldn't punch back otherwise he would be disturbing the sleeping one. Grumbling from the hit, he took his last sip at his tea and leaned forward, putting the mug on the table, emitting a discomforting sound from the six-ear-old from getting slightly moved.
"Is that why you come back?" He found himself asking, and Sonic looked just as perplexed back at him. If the hedgehog liked being out on his own this much, then there shouldn't be a reason for him to come back to the Mystic Ruins but instead just continue his journey. The blue hedgehog blinked at him for a couple of seconds before he then nodded.
"Yep. I miss my friends, a real bed to sleep in and I miss teasing you and calling you a knucklehead," – "Yeah, that I don't miss," Sonic grinned at that, his eyes falling back down on the sleeping form in the echidna's lap, suddenly realized that it was the echidna's lap from the slightly widening eyes of his.
"Wait, why haven't you pushed him off yet?" The hedgehog asked, shifting his leg slightly as if Knuckles was reminded and was about to do it. But he didn't, instead pondered over it for a second, and came to a conclusion though he didn't want to share it. He looked at the sleeping head as well, tail tips beginning to whip from some sort of dream.
"I guess," He started. "I felt – sorry. For him," He bit his lip, didn't need to look at Sonic to be able to feel the glare that was sent his way.
"You felt sorry for him?" Knuckles was never sorry for anyone. He had sympathy in the context that he didn't like that other people were in pain but dealing with other's problems he didn't. He was a one-man person, someone who only took care of himself, and not others as they were a problem more than any help. Everybody else's problems weren't his, and therefore he didn't need to spend time and energy on thinking about them.
Another deep breath escaped Sonic, as the echidna thought that the hedgehog must have realized that Tails must've been really missing him in order for Knuckles to feel sorry for him. He only nodded to that, his eyes travelling to the documentary that started explaining what limestone was and why they were a prominent feature in cave systems.
Sonic then found his hand from his crossed arm position and started rubbing the kid on the head before moving and shaking his shoulder when Knuckles moved his own hand.
"Tails? You awake bud? It's me," The fox grunted firstly before tired eyes with cobwebs hanging around them drooped open, looking firstly into nothing. That's when he tilted his head towards whoever had spoken, his eyes widening considerably.
"Sonic?" His voice was a bit hoarse, disbelief running through the entire name as he might as well be dreaming. The hedgehog smiled and nodded.
"Hey litl' bro," He winked. "You're not dreaming," He then said afterwards, as the disbelief was still thick in his eyes. Then they opened more and more, realization crossing the entirety of his face, and screamed the hedgehog's name. Knuckles grunted in pain when Tails flung forward, using his thighs as a springboard towards the blue hedgehog, who were laughing.
"Sonic! SonicSonicSonic!" A child-filled and utterly happy voice echoed, while the echidna got his eyes back in control, turning and looking at where Sonic had been standing. He had been walking backwards, from the weight that had attacked him, arms, and legs around the hedgehog in a big and warm bear hug, head digging into his shoulder. Knuckles didn't know if he were smiling or not, just merely watched as the fox clung around him and looked like someone who was never going to let go again, while Sonic had been sent into pearls of laughter, joy more than amusement lacing it, while hugging the kit back.
A minute probably passed before the fox let go, hitting the floor with socked feet, a big smile on his lips while joyful tears sat in the corner of his eyes. Sonic crouched down and removed them with a thump, just as big a smile on his own lips. Crouched liked that, the echidna decided that Tails had grown a bit taller since he had seen him the last time, as he still wasn't taller than when Sonic was crouched but he was at least above his neck this time.
"What're you've been up to kiddo?" He asked, the smile not being able to leave his features. Tails eyes changed at that, blue eyes darting around Sonic's face as if something had appeared there.
"I should be asking you that! What have you been doing, where have you been?!" He asked almost ludicrously, throwing his arms into the air for emphasis. Sonic laughed again, even though it didn't look like it humored the small fox, putting a hand on his shoulder and padded it.
"That's a long story Tails, I'll tell you some other time. Though I'm pretty sure what you've been doing is far less than me," He winked, while Knuckles laced his hands behind his head and propped one leg up on his knee, realized how much he was glad that he was completely free of fox. Said fox shrugged, his eyes keep darting over Sonic as if he was about to disappear.
"The usual. I've done some good work on the Tornado, I've been messing with the TV and-" "Setting the workshop on fire," Knuckles couldn't help himself, and grinned when the fox sent him a look of betrayal, the amount of confusing that laced the blue hedgehog.
"Setting the workshop on fire?" He questioned, raising a brow at the six-year-old that turned back to Sonic. He grinned and started scratching the back of his head.
"Yeah, uhm, something went wrong a couple of days ago with the chemicals and I ignited some of the liquid. But it's alright, I put it out before it managed to spread anywhere, it was only lit for like a couple of seconds," He said dismissively, as if the whole thing hadn't been a cause for worry at all, although you could see in his eyes the slight fear of either getting yelled at or his chemicals getting taken away. Sonic only shook his head and ruffled the fox's bangs playfully.
"You're careful from now on, right?" He asked, making Tails nod and smile at him, a silent thanks for the trust. Sonic's smile then wilted slightly, as a breath escaped him, and he started scratching his own head. He was about to say something, when Tails' hand went around and touched one of his spikes, his face somewhat filled with surprise.
"Your quills are longer," He noted, the happy daze of Sonic coming back, gone from his façade. "And you're a bit darker as well," The hedgehog grinned, from his observation, his own eyes taking a once-over at the fox as well.
"Your tails are definitely bigger," He said, and padded his head. "And you're taller as well," Tails beamed at him, while Knuckles realized that Sonic not noting that his voice had changed as well must have been a longer time ago then. He saw them less than they saw each other after all. The hedgehog then again let out a breath before he took one of Tails hands, analyzing the small fingers with his eyes and swallowed something.
"I'm sorry Tails," Knuckles was just as surprised as the small fox. "I – Didn't mean to be this long gone. I forget how lonely you can get," The fox briefly turned his head towards Knuckles before returning to Sonic. The echidna grinned, as the six-year-old must've realized that him and Sonic had talked while he had been sleeping. Tails fingers then clutched around Sonic's hand, the hedgehog looking up at him and was met with a smiling face.
"It's okay Sonic. I know that you're having fun and are exploring the world. I don't want you to stay here because of me. You enjoy what you do, and you should keep doing that," He explained, his eyes relaxed despite the tiredness that still hung there. Sonic looked surprised for a second, before his arms came back around the fox, pulling him to his chest and hugged him tight. Tails did the same, arms around him and head snuggled into the blue shoulder.
"I come back because of you little bro. I'm lucky to have somebody like you to understand. Thanks," Tails shook his head in the shoulder, letting out a shutter of happy tears.
"No. Thanks for coming back," He mumbled while shuttering, voice muffled by the blue fur, making the hedgehog squeeze him tighter, head hidden in Tails own shoulder.
"Of course," He said in almost a whisper, running his hand up and down the small fox's back. Knuckles watched for a second before his gaze returned to the TV. The narrator talked about how the caves came to be, and what formed them.
His thoughts travelled from that sentence to compare it to the friendship the two brothers had. What shaped their friendship, well parts of it was trust and faith in one another. That whenever someone makes a promise, they keep it, and no matter how much time passes they will see each other again. All of them would. All of their friends. The echidna smiled at that before wondering whether or not he should ask for his ride home now or a blanket so he could sleep on the couch.