Ok, so somehow I managed to forget a disclaimer. I don't own anyone in this story, and I don't intend to create any OCs. This applies to the whole story, and it's not like I make money off the story anyway *sobs*

Also, just so you guys know, Tails is younger than Sonic, but he's not like 8 and Sonic 15 cause that's weird. Tails is like 12ish in my mind, but leave it to your imagination.

Wow. I updated this way sooner than expected. Expect more in 1-2 weeks.

So anyways, I kinda am frustrated with myself for writing a winter
holiday-themed story when I have a half written Halloween story in my folder, but hey, there's always next year. My timing kinda sucks...

Also, random fun-fact time! I'm writing about a Christmas themed party even though I'm actually Jewish. I do celebrate both Chanukkah and Christmas since my dad is a Christian though. Ah the joys of being a multi-cultural child.

On with the story!

Chapter 2: Night Terrors and Fiery Fears

SCREEEE! Tails cringed at the sound of metal on metal as he shaved down the jagged edges of his newest creation. After a long and unsuccessful day of shopping, Tails had been struck with a brilliant idea for the perfect gift for Sonic. What's more, after deciding he didn't like any of the ones at the store, he decided to create his own in his workshop. The more effort, the more thought and the more Sonic would like the gift, right? The only issue he was having so far was trying to keep the gift a secret. With all the loud sawing and sanding that resulted from shaping the item, the curious hedgehog always wanted to know what exactly was going on in that workshop. Deep in thought, the small fox switched off his comically large power-sander and the whirring that filled the room receded into silence.

Tails propped his safety goggles on top of his head and ran his fingers through his golden locks. He let out a heavy breath and began to put his tools back in their proper shelves. He glanced out the window and noticed the veil of darkness that cloaked the forest. The boy shivered to himself and tried to cast dark thoughts of what lurked in the forest out of his head.

Tails hated nights like these, where he became so entranced in his work that he didn't even notice the day fade into it's own shadows. On these nights, Tails had to walk through the dark forest back to the house he and Sonic shared. Though only a few hundred meters away, the trail through the woods at night terrified his young mind. Imagine that, the greatest scientist on Mobius scared of the dark. It was laughable. But still, with so many monsters that could be hidden among the trees and the way that the shadows stretched, it was nearly reasonable to be afraid. Not to mention Slenderman… Tails chuckled to himself as he imagined a certain dark hedgehog lurking in the night, among other things. It would certainly be like the Ultimate Lifeform to creep around late into the night. He tried to distract himself from the terrors of the nighttime with thoughts of his adventures with Shadow and the others as he stepped to the door. It wasn't working very well.

As soon as Tails opened the door, he was off, kicking the door shut behind him. He moved quickly, focusing on the well-trodden path beneath his feet and the inviting glow from the house it led to. The snow felt cold beneath his feet and Tails regretted leaving his boots in the house. The moon was hidden behind layers upon layers of clouds and Tails could hardly even see the fluffy snow that lined the forest floor like moss, usually so bright and brilliant under the sun. Tails' whole body was tensed in anticipation. If some ghoul decided to jump out and attack him at this moment, the pathetic, shaky fox would barely be able to put up a fight. He tried to keep his mind on his destination, and was getting close to the door. Only about thirty more seconds. A faint light was just visible in the window, possibly a hallway light that Sonic forgot to turn off. Tails' hedgehog housemate surely was sleeping now, completely oblivious to the terrified fox outside his home. Nearly speedwalking at this point, Tails decided to risk a quick look into the inky forest behind him. Bad move.

Through the blinding darkness, Tails just barely managed to make out a rustling bush behind him. All logic that ever existed in Tails' mind was gone now. He did not stop to think of the possibility of it being the wind, or woodland animals, or even the rustling being in his imagination. No, the only thing he could imagine now was a hundred different ways the monster in the bush planned to kill him. He let out a piercing shriek and sprinted the remainder of the path so quickly that it would have made Sonic himself pale. When he reached the door, he threw it open and slammed it shut behind him with all his strength. Falling with all his weight back onto the door behind him, he slid to the ground heavily and closed him eyes. He panted in relief and shook from the icy chill in the air and the pure fear he had felt out there.

"Guess you're still a little scared of the dark, huh?" spoke an amused voice.

Tails eyes shot open. Sitting on the couch in front of him was the famous hero with a bowl of popcorn in one hand and a remote in the other. The tiny sidekick froze in shock. His mind went into full overdrive trying to find an explanation. Tails barely even noticed the hot tears streaming down his face. He felt humiliated and ashamed of himself for being so terrified of something so childish. Sonic too must be so disappointed in him. The boy deeply considered attempting to chaos control himself out of there to save himself the sheer embarrassment.

Sonic saw the tears in his friend's eyes and suddenly felt guilty. Placing his popcorn on the coffee table, Sonic stood and took a few steps to the blubbering boy. "Sorry, bud. You know I don't mean it. It's totally ok if you're scared. Everyone's got their fears," he reassured. "I can't stand water, you don't like the dark. There's something with everybody."

Tails murmered something incomprehensible. He curled himself tighter into a ball, as he could no longer bear to look his role model in the eye. Suddenly he felt himself being lifted up. Was he floating? No, Sonic was holding him. Tails felt strong and supportive arms wrap around his small body and sobbed even harder. Sonic felt the tremors rocking his best-bud's body and held him tighter. "Shh, it's ok. It's ok," he whispered. He gently rubbed Tails' back, allowing his fingers to twirl around and run through the soft fur. They stood like that for what could have been forever.

When Tails finally stopped crying, the two antromorphs kept in their positions. Tails chose not to open his eyes, savoring every bit of this unique and special moment. He loved the way he felt safe here, the familiar smell when he buried his face in Sonic's chest, the feeling of his flowing quills. Finally, what seemed like decades later, Sonic finally released his friend from the hug. Positioning his finger under Tails' chin and propping it up, Sonic looked straight into his eyes. The golden fox swore he was melting. His eyes flicked over the hedgehog's perfect features.

"Are you okay now, bud?" he asked softly. Tails didn't respond at first. So Sonic pulled him into another hug. This time it didn't last so long, Tails instantly nodded into Sonic's chest. He pushed himself away and wiped at his face. "I'm fine now, Sonic," he told the older boy. "I just...I just feel so weak," he managed, voice trembling.

"Hey. You're not weak," Sonic told him confidently. "You're the smartest guy I know, and one of the strongest too."

Tails sniffled. "Thanks, Sonic. I feel a lot better now," he whispered, lip quivering. He no longer felt like his eyes were a dam holding back the tears.

"Good," Sonic began. He gave a friendly smile and winked. "You should probably get some sleep now. Don't want you getting all grumpy on me tomorrow," he teased.

Tails nodded silently and took a few small steps towards his room. Sonic settled back onto the couch and dove his hand into the bowl of popcorn. He skimmed through a few channels before finally giving a sastified grunt. The glow from the TV illuminated his face in the dark room. At the door, Tails hesitated. He turned back to face Sonic with his head drooping slightly, and gave a barely audible whisper.

"Sonic?"

"What is it, lil bro? Wanna sleep in my room tonight if you're still not ok?"

Tails chuckled to himself. You have no idea... "No, I'm too old for that, it's just...thanks," he smiled up to the hero on the couch in front of him in gratitude.

"No problem, Tails."

Rays of sunshine danced across Tails' eyelids as he awoke. He could hear birds chirping in the background and the late-morning warmth was so inviting he nearly fell back asleep then and there. The soft blanket rubbed lightly against his skin. Everything about the scene was so peaceable. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he groggily forced himself out of the bed and away from the picture-perfect moment.

Suddenly, a realization hit him. His eyes shot open and he went straight to full alert as the acrid smell of smoke hit the fox's sensitive nose.

"SOOOONNIIICCCC! FIRE!" Tails screamed, sprinting out of his room and flailing his arms wildly. He barreled straight into the bedroom parrallel with his own, frantically searching for his best friend. Seeing the messy yet empty bed, he shot into kitchen. The smoke grew thicker here and Tails' shouts grew louder. Suddenly, as he he tried to process what lay before him, everything went dead silent and Tails understood what had happened. His eyes grew wide at the sight before him and he stood still as a statue. Everything seemed to be frozen in time. Then Tails burst out in laughter.

In front of the stove, stood a very embarrassed hedgehog with a sheepish look on his face. His fur was filthy with raw eggs and pancake mix, and a blackened glob of burnt yet somehow raw batter sat in the pan in front of him. The smoke was coming off in thick waves and Sonic had been desperately attempting to scrape it off of the pan where it had been stuck like glue when Tails spotted him.

When Tails finally calmed down enough to breathe, he grabbed the barely-recognizable pan from Sonic and through it in the sink, blasting cold water onto it. He flipped the switches on the stove from MAX to OFF. "What did you do?" He questioned incredulously, still trying to suppress laughter. "I thought Eggman had tried to burn us to the ground!" Sonic laughed nervously.

"Well...I tried making us breakfast," Sonic mumbled passively. His emerald eyes lit up a little bit. "I just wanted to do something nice for you! You always build me such awesome stuff and last night you seemed so...down..."

Tails' face grew serious. "Listen Sonic, I build you stuff because that's what I enjoy. You don't need to pay me back for that. As for last night, let's just forget that it ever happened. It was a moment of weakness, and despite my IQ and the fact that I'm a billion times more mature than you, I'm still just a kid. Sometimes it shows." A ghost of a smile danced across his lips. "Besides, I thought you learned to stop trying to cook after last time," he teased.

Sonic frowned, taking a wet towel and trying to scrub some of the batter out of his fur. He'd have to take a shower later. "Hey, it's not my fault Knucklehead let his stupid dreadlocks fall into the fire! It's his own fault that he ended up in flames," the hero accused. He grimaced at the memory of being chased by an angry fireball of an Echidna. Tails just laughed in response and grabbed a box of cereal from the pantry.

"Whatever you say, bud," Tails taunted. "All I know is that you wouldn't be able to feed yourself for a day without me," he joked. Sonic frowned, then laughed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right braniac," he replied submissively. "Luckily, I'm always gonna have you around, right?"

Tails smiled in response as he poured a bowl of Lucky Charms for both himself and Sonic. The two sat in comfortable silence as they ate their breakfasts. Well, maybe ate wasn't the right word to describe how Sonic went about devouring his food. The boy somehow tore through seven bowls the stuff! He literally ate until there was nothing left to eat, and when he was done with that he finished off his companion's bowl for him. Tails would have been in shock had he not been so accustomed Sonic's eating habits, but he was barely fazed a bit. Just one more thing to add to the shopping list...

"So what's on the agenda for today, lil' bro?" Sonic asked with a toothy smile as he threw his empty bowl into the dishwasher.

"Oh not much," responded the petite fox, actually rinsing out his own dish and carefully placing it on the drying rack. "Just working on some...eh...Tornado stuff in the workshop. What about you?"

"I gotta finally get to shopping for Amy's party," Sonic explained. "I figure I'll be lucky if there's still anything left in the stores."

Now who could he be planning to give his gift to? Certainly not himself, thought Tails sadly. Maybe Sonic had finally cracked for Amy. Tails cast that horrible thought out of his head. Never in a million years could that happen. Well, at least Tails wasn't the only one who procrastinates around here... "Good luck with that. I'd help you out, but we're not supposed to know each other's gifts. Sorry.."

"Yeah, whatever. I think I know what I wanna get for my person anyways," he said as he strolled for the door. "See ya later!" He called, reaching for the knob. Just before he managed to reach it, though, the door was flung open violently. It smacked Sonic square across the face and he fell like a deadweight to the ground. He rubbed his muzzle and opened his mouth to complain, but was rudely cut off by the intruder.

"WHERE THE HELL IS SHE?!"

Important Author's Note: Ok guys, I realize I may not have explained this very clearly. So the way the Secret Santas work is that they all bring gifts, and write who it's to but not who it's from. The recipient opens the gift and has to guess who it's from and from there you just kind of figure out. That's why no one can know what you're getting for your person. I know it may vary from other Secret Santa styles, but it's my story so step off.

Btw sorry for the cliffy. Heh.

Thanks for reviews and follows!