Brother of Mine
Never thought this part of the story would go on for this long, nevertheless, we'll see some action soon enough. Thank you to all those who read/review/favorite/follow this story! It means a lot to me!
Disclaimer: Never owned Sonic the Hedgehog, probably never will.
Chapter 10: Slowing Down
On most days, not so much as a squeak could be heard coming from the house this early in the morning, not to say it was always this quiet though. This day in particular however, a low, sizzling-popping sound could be heard emanating from the kitchen, where a little two-tailed fox was busily at work.
Wowie! It's 9 o'clock already! That means Sonic'll be up soon! Miles "Tails" Prower thought, turning his head as he wiped his sweat covered brow with a dirtied hand. Unbeknownst to the giddy kitsune, the action left a slimy white paste in its trail that now clung goofily onto his forehead. His concentration remained unwavering and was currently being focused solely on the frying pan in his grip as he took a deep breath...
3… 2… 1… now! …and with a heave he flung the pan upwards, shooting the pancake upright through the air before quickly catching it on a plate.
Tails let out a content sigh as he gazed upon his most recent masterpiece, a tower of freshly made pancakes served with a very generous amount of maple syrup smothered on top. "Whew, didn't think making pancakes would be so much hard work," He chuckled, "I just hope I made enough for him,"
"Made enough for who?" A voice abruptly said making itself known behind him. The surprised kitsune leapt into the air, losing his balance on the chair he stood on sending him stumbling to the ground before a pair of hands caught him in midair.
"Sonniic!" Tails cried out childishly while quickly hiding the plate behind his back. "You scared me!"
"Hehe, sorry lil' buddy, I couldn't help it." Sonic chuckled as he placed the little fox back on his feet. "Geez, what were ya doing in here? Looks like a food-fight happened or somethin," He questioned curiously, noting the creamy colored goop that all but encompassed almost every possible surface in the kitchen, including the cub before him. "And…are you wearing an apron?"
Tails continued to pout cutely at him with his hands behind his back. "Well, yeah! That's what people wear when they cook, right?" He stated with a grin as if it were clear as day. "Anyway, I want to give you something!" His smile widened as he brought the plate above his head. "Ta da! You like it Sonic? Huh?"
Sonic gulped. "That's uh… looks great, lil' buddy… you uhm, made those all by yourself?" He asked.
"Yup! So d'ya like it?"
"I… I love it kiddo!"
The ecstatic kitsune didn't seem to notice Sonic's somewhat hesitant answer and if anything became even happier. He lifted the plate over his head and onto the table before hurrying back to the hedgehog. "Here, sit down! I'll get you a fork!" He said excitedly and proceeded to drag Sonic to a chair before scurrying off to the kitchen drawers.
Sonic sat rooted to the chair as he stared at the fox's latest creation indecisively. The four year old may have been an amazing mechanic, a prodigy scientist, and quite possibly a master of deception, but he was certainly no Gordon Ramsay.
"Here ya go!" Tails said, handing him a fork before scampering onto the table himself and plopping down, "You think it'll be 'nough for you? Or should I make more?"
"NO!" Sonic blurted out bringing a confused expression to Tails' face. "Uhm I mean…I don't, normally eat a big breakfast anyway, so this should be plenty enough," He quickly said, though was surprised to see that Tails actually believed him.
"Well, only if you're sure 'bout that…" Tails said, still a little skeptical.
"You know I wouldn't lie to you bud," Sonic said more confidently. Tails perked up at his words and seemed to forget about the matter entirely, if the far-off look and fallen ears had any indication. Sonic raised an eyebrow at the strange response before deciding to shift topics. "So…" He began with a smirk. "You seem to be in a good mood today. Any reason why?"
Tails shuffled his hands together and dimly twiddled his thumbs before responding, "Well, ya'know, since I've been actin like such a jerk and all the past few days, I wanted to make it up to you," he said timidly, "so I thought that if I was happier, then you would be happier too."
Sonic sat back a little, still surprised at the extent the fox's attitude changed over the course of a day. "Well, that's certainly nice of you to do, and I'm guessing that 'this' has something to do with it?" He said gesturing at the surprise breakfast.
Tails nodded his head vigorously as a bright smile lit up his face. "Yup! I wanted to give you back something for taking care of me, and I didn't know how to make chili dogs so I made pancakes!" He folded his arms in a prideful manner before saying, "and I think I did a pretty good job on them too! I thought I was gonna have to remake a whole bunch but boy was I wrong, I never knew cooking would be this easy!"
"Easy… haha… yeahhh" Sonic nervously laughed while fumbling with the fork. Oh sweet Chaos he actually thinks these are good!? And I don't have the heart to break it to him either! His eyes looked around for something to distract himself with before landing on a black object on the fox's wrist that was mostly obscured by pancake mix. "Hey, is that a watch?"
"Oh yeah! I made it myself with some of the things you gave me," Tails replied excitedly as he wiped the goop off the digital screen. His attention almost immediately returned to breakfast however as he eagerly leaned forward. "Now come on Sonic! I want to see if you like it or not!"
"Ya know, uh, you must've worked up an appetite making these. I don't mind sharing some with you, that is, if you'd like,"
"Nope, it's all for you!" Tails grinned shaking his head.
Ohhh boy… Sonic suddenly felt queasy even though it was still early in the morning. Is this… my punishment for making him stay at the daycare yesterday? Or not letting him play with the plane? He stole another glance at the foreboding tower and felt a shiver go down his spine. Oh dear Chaos! Have mercy on my soul!
"Sonic? Is something wrong?" Tails asked noticing the frightened looks from his best friend.
"Wha? No way, why would anything be wrong?" Sonic said but Tails only looked at him questionably. "Alright, the pancakes are just a little… overcooked, I guess."
"Overcooked?" Tails leaned forward to examine his prized delicacy. His nose sniffed it a couple times and he even prodded it with a finger before going as far as to cut off a piece to taste it, "seems okay to me," Tails said plainly.
Sonic stared incredulously at the fox's display of nonexistent taste buds and only snapped out of it when Tails went in for another piece. "Ya'know why don't we eat out for breakfast today?" He suggested while holding the cub's hands back from the plate.
"But there's nothing wrong with this, is there?" Sonic winced at the hurt expression Tails gave him.
"You're still a growing kid Tails, and that means you need food that'll give nutrients and… that kinda stuff," Tails' ears flattened against his head as he heard that, "it's not that I think your cooking's bad! It's just; we both need to eat healthy stuff so we can grow up to be, y'know, healthy and strong."
Tails opened his mouth to interject but quickly shut it when he remembered he was supposed to be making Sonic happier.
"Don't feel bad kiddo," Sonic said while helping the little fox down from his seat on the table, "we can have pancakes another day and if ya want I can teach you how to cook some other stuff sometime. Now, how bout we clean up the kitchen before we head out?"
Tails looked around the kitchen at the mess he made that ended up being all for nothing, and sighed, "I never do anything right…"
Sonic watched as the kitsune trotted over to the multiple piles of glop on the floor and scooped them up into his hands in a glum manner. He never thought that his simple request would affect the kid this greatly, especially after they seemed to reconcile yesterday. Wanting to make Tails feel at least a little bit happier, Sonic gently scratched the little fox behind his ear drawing out the familiar delighted squeal that always brought a smile to his face.
"I'm not mad at you or anything, okay lil' buddy?" He said as he kneeled down to the cub's height. "I'm actually pretty impressed that you made breakfast all by yourself to be honest, so don't feel sad okay?"
Tails allowed a small smile to form on his lips as a result of Sonic's playful gesture and reassuring words. He looked away from the Hero and scratched his cheek in a bashful manner, "alright…" he sighed in content, no longer feeling the effects of an imaginary gloomy cloud overhanging him. His eyes were drawn back to the blue streaking hedgehog when Sonic suddenly raised a fist towards him.
Tails stared at the outstretched fist with unparalleled curiosity before shifting his gaze towards Sonic and asking in the most innocent voice the hedgehog had ever heard, "are you gonna punch me?"
"WHAT?!" Sonic instantly face faulted much to the little cub's astonishment. "No no no no no no! Why would- I would never hit you!" Sonic stammered exasperatedly as he scrambled for words, "It was just- ya see I thought this is what friends do nowadays. Y'know where they punch- Uh I mean not punch but hit-err uh join - their fists together into like a fist bump to show that they're best friends and I thought you would-err I mean might know it since…"
Sonic slowly trailed off when he realized that Tails was giggling at him. "What's so funny?" he asked obliviously.
Tails held a hand to stifle his laughter, "you sound funny when you're confused," he giggled, "It's…different," Sonic raised an eyebrow in amusement before he had an idea and turned away, crossing his arms to feign dismay.
"Yeah? Well I didn't think it was that funny!" He huffed while shutting his eyes. He knew that Tails was perceptive enough to see through his act but was surprised when after a moment he felt the little cub pawing at his knee instead.
"Aw c'mon Sonic I was just playin 'round! I didn't actually think it was funny either, honest! Please just don't be mad at me!" Sonic slid open an eye to see Tails looking up at him with a pleading smile and, though he wasn't an expert, even he could tell that the cub was being serious.
"Oh yeah?" Sonic replied with a sly grin.
Tails' eyes widened in realization at what his best friend was playing at and that Sonic was only staging his disapproval. "Yeah…" He nodded after letting out a relieved sigh, "it wasn't that funny,"
"Well I think I'm gonna have to do somethin' bout that!" and before Tails even had time to blink, Sonic had already scooped him up and got to work tickling his white belly.
"WHAHAHAHAHA SOHAHAHAHOHONIC?!"
Sonic grinned as the fox cub was rendered into a giggling mess in mere seconds. Tails cried out in laughter as he weakly swatted at Sonic's hands in fruitless attempts to escape but to no avail.
"C'HAHAMON SOHAHONIC! QUIHAHAHAHA-QUHIT IHIT!" Tails squealed. Sonic however showed no signs of stopping just yet as he began to swiftly tickle the back of the cub's neck, an area he knew was very sensitive to the touch and would guarantee a greater response. No sooner had he done so than Tails instinctively jerked his upper body forwards amidst his fit of giggles and began hollering in even more unrestrained laughter.
"Oh? Is that a ticklish spot I see?" Sonic grinned mischievously.
"NAHEHEHEHEHAHAHOO!"
"Oh, really? Cause I think it might be!" He casually replied to the four year old's incoherent response and started to target the nape of Tails' neck more and more. Pretty soon the little fox had forsaken defending himself and instead opted to clutch his chest that was hurting from laughing so hard.
If there was anything Sonic knew that would cheer the both of them up, it was a good ol' fashioned tickle fight, granted, there wasn't much competition since Tails was still just a kid. But to Sonic, the peace and playfulness of the activity couldn't have been any more enjoyable… even if he was covered in pancake mix.
Pretty soon Sonic came to the conclusion that if he carried on any longer that Tails might actually faint from lack of oxygen, if the kitsune's golden turned blue face gave any indication, and promptly allowed the cub a moment to rest.
"Hehe….hehe…what…was that…for?" Tails asked from his lying down position while taking in huge gulps of air. And despite his exhausted appearance, he still held a happy grin on his face that further seemed to ease and relax the cobalt hedgehog.
"Thought I could give you a hand with that 'mission' of yours and make us both happier," Sonic replied with a wink.
Tails opened his mouth to retort but quickly found that he lacked the necessary breath to say anything. His head gave a quick nod of thanks to the blue blur before he allowed his shoulders to slack downwards and relax himself after the one sided tickle fight. Sonic was content with letting Tails rest, and inwardly might have admitted that he had overdid it again, but was nonetheless simply happy to sit there with his best friend and, dare he say it, slow down for once.
A few minutes pass before Tails sat back up, his breathing still audible but nowhere near as vigorous as it had been before.
Sonic held his fist out, a bit farther back this time, and motioned for Tails to do the same. The little fox gingerly extended his own fist and hit it against the older hedgehog's, creating a relaxing 'thud' sound upon contact.
"C'mon lil' buddy, let's hurry up and clean the kitchen so we can go get some breakfast. I don't know bout you but I'm starvin for some chili dogs after that!" Sonic offered, standing up.
Tails wanted to say that it was his mess so he should be the one cleaning it up and not the Hero of Mobius, but realized that that would bring another unwanted argument into the mix of their mending relationship which was definitely not something he wanted to do. So, with a bit of reluctance, he stood up and began to aid the blue speedster in their Kitchen Recovery Mission. He wasn't going to jeopardize the happy atmosphere Sonic managed to create for them, nuh-uh, no way.
"…also we're gonna have to take a bath before we leave," Sonic added, "now c'mon, I wanna show you something after we eat."
Show me something? Tails wondered what Sonic could possibly want to show him, especially after he made such a mess in the hedgehog's own kitchen! His mind wandered through the infinite possibilities of what Mobius' greatest hero had in store for him as he swept the floors. But unfortunately for him, he couldn't help but be drawn towards the thoughts that didn't involve anything good.
"Hurry up Tails, else I'm gonna need a retirement home by the time we make it there!" Sonic jokingly said as he watched the two tailed kitsune slowly jog up to him.
"Huff… sorry… I can't… huff… run… huff… as fast as you," Tails gasped. The poor fox looked like he could barely stand on his own and was forced to hold himself up with his hands planted on his knees.
"Whoa you don't have to be sorry about that, after all, not everyone can be a super-fast hedgehog like me," Sonic said somewhat prideful.
"Yeah… huff… but If… I wasn't so slow…huff… you wouldn't… have to keep…huff…. waiting… for me to catch up!" Tails clutched his chest in pain as if every breath renewed the fiery sensation that burned in his lungs.
Sonic sheepishly muttered an "oops" and slowly rubbed the kitsune's back in little circular motions. "C'mon pal, cheer up. I don't mind slowing down once in a while," he said truthfully, "and ya know if you wanted to rest you coulda just asked me."
"No… way… huff… it's okay… I'm fine now," Tails straightened up and exhaled loudly to prove it but ended up maintaining that position for a good two seconds before he was back on his knees.
"Jeez, fine? Yeaah right," Sonic sighed. "You sure you still don't want me to carry you? I really don't mind y'know since; you weigh less than a feather." He offered. Tails opened his mouth to talk but after several failed attempts, gave up and simply shook his head instead. "Alright then, how bout we walk the rest of the way? We're pretty close anyway."
The fox cub tiredly nodded his head and obediently began trudging along behind Sonic. By the time the duo finally arrived at their destination, Tails had managed to suppress his weariness to an occasional huff and puff every now and then.
Unlike their home in the Mystic Ruins, this place was in fact not covered in a two foot high layer of snow. Instead, short emerald grass sprouted out of the ground at every turn and every tree. The wind didn't send chills down their spines but soothed them like a soft flowing blanket at night. Up ahead was a moderately sized hill and beyond that lay the bright blue sky.
The duo continued walking until they stood directly on the hill, only, now that Tails could see it, also served as the top of a cliff that stretched downwards for a pretty far drop before meeting the dark blue oceanic tidal waves in a stagnant battle at the bottom.
Sonic plopped himself down a bit of a distance away from the edge of the cliff and instructed for Tails to do the same. "It's pretty peaceful here, don't you agree?" He asked while lying back on his quills.
"Yeah, it is," Tails replied after sitting down beside the blue hedgehog, "but what was it that you wanted to show me?"
Sonic let out a sigh, "look around us," he said simply.
Tails complied and turned his head to take another look at the scenery that surrounded them. His ears perked up a bit in recognition, "this place… it's Emerald Hill Zone isn't it!" he exclaimed. "I've only ever seen pictures of this place! I never actually thought I would be here one day! Guess it really is as peaceful as everyone says!"
Sonic hummed in agreement to that. "I wanted to show you this place 'cause of how peaceful it is, good for lettin out your thoughts," he said.
"Letting out my thoughts? I thought you were a hero, not a tairapist." Tails questioned innocently.
"It's therapist, not tairapist," Sonic chuckled, "hey… that's the first time I've heard you mispronounce a word! I should write this down or somethin!" He joked causing Tails to redden and look away in embarrassment, "but to answer your question, being a hero doesn't necessarily mean I can't do other stuff too, not that I'm saying I'm a therapist but, you get the point."
Tails sighed, "I wish I could be like you Sonic, you're smart, you're strong, you're a hero but can do other things that other Mobians who aren't heroes can do, you can run fast enough to make sonic booms, have no weaknesses, own your own house, and you probably have lots 'a friends…"
"Well, I am a hero, but not all of what you said is true," Sonic stated, "believe it or not I don't actually have that many friends and I have lot more weaknesses than you think, for example, I… can't swim and start panicking pretty badly when I'm underwater."
But Tails shook his head, "nah, you just gotta practice a bit more and in no time you'll probably be swimming as fast as you can run. You're a hero Sonic, and heroes don't got any weaknesses… only normal Mobians and freaks of nature like me get weaknesses."
Tails bit his tongue expecting Sonic to make a remark on what he just said, but that moment never came.
He still doesn't have any self-confidence after all we've been through? Sonic wondered, his whole body freezing when he heard the little cub make a statement that degraded him further. Stupid Westside City, just how much damage did they do to the kid? I gotta do something to try and fix this… but what?
A few minutes rolled by and Tails had long since forsaken the belief that Sonic would talk to him anymore and resorted to plucking singular blades of grass to fumble with on his wrists. As he began to slide the bits of grass gently along the side of his arm, Sonic spoke up.
"Kiddo," the hedgehog began while sitting up, "this may sound kind of ironic coming from me, but sometimes the best thing to do is to slow down."
"What do you mean by that Sonic?" Tails quirked an eye ridge curiously.
"All the things that've happened since I met you," Sonic said as he wrapped an arm around the younger fox's shoulder, "it just feels like so much has happened since then but it's only been about a week."
Tails shifted his gaze from the bundle of grass in his hands and onto the hedgehog's kind expression beside him.
"It's been a roller coaster ride for the both of us huh? After that argument we had on the first day, then your little accident with my plane, and now what happened yesterday? Jeez, my life hasn't been this hectic in a long time."
Tails flattened his ears against his skull, thinking that Sonic wasn't as happy anymore because of him.
"But… it also hasn't been this much fun either," Sonic continued much to Tails' confusion. "I never thought the first friend I'd make would be a four year old, and I definitely wouldn't have thought they would become my best friend as well."
Tails stared at the cobalt hedgehog in pure perplexity to which Sonic sighed. "Look kiddo, point I'm trying to make is you're special from other kids your age… and yes, I mean that in a good way." He said reassuringly. "I mean look at what you can do! You fixed my plane when not even an adult could, upgraded my TV, made this dandy looking watch out of everyday items, cooked up a mean lookin pancake today, and even saved me from Robotnik back on Westside Island!"
Sonic paused to let his words sink in before continuing. "Now look at the other four year olds! They eat, cry, yell, poop, they're loud, hard to raise, hate going to bed, are picky about everything they eat, and most of the time you don't even know what they're sayin! You, on the other hand, can talk almost like a teenager who's more than double your age!" He exclaimed, "You're the quietist kid I've ever seen, always go to bed when I ask you," Tails winced, "never complain about anything, never need me to do anything for you, you always eat whatever I give you, I mean for cryin out loud! You were willing to eat a burnt up pancake today!"
Tails rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, having never been complimented so many times in his entire life before.
Sonic sighed, "Kiddo, I know you feel sad… and alone, and scared, and that's alright, as far as I can tell you're just trying to see how you fit into your new life and what you should and shouldn't do. But what I want you to know is that it's my job to help you do that. If you still want to wait the three weeks before you tell me what's wrong, then I'll wait. I'm supposed to be taking care of you, I mean, sure I haven't adopted you yet, but that doesn't make me anything less of your guardian!"
From his voice alone Tails could tell that Sonic was trying his very best for him.
"So don't feel alone, k kid? I'll always be near if you want to talk," Sonic finished with a reassuring smile. "Cause even Mobius' greatest hero can slow down every once in a while."
Tails stared out into the open sea, his thoughts mimicking the ocean currents. A strange feeling of contentment was overflowing from his heart in waves after hearing all the nice things Sonic said. And maybe, just a teeny tiny bit, maybe he felt like he was finally overcoming his past fears.
"Miles Prower..." Tails muttered with a solemn smile. "That's my name, my real name."
Sonic grinned. "Well, nice to finally know your name, Miles 'Tails' Prower!" He said enthusiastically, knowing that the little fox was fully expecting him to laugh at the name.
"It's fine if you laugh you know," Tails said as if reading his mind, "It's a pretty stupid name anyway."
"Hey. It is not a stupid name." Sonic instantly stated. "And I am not going to laugh at you, 'cause that's not what a best friend does."
"I wouldn't mind if you did," Tails looked away from Sonic so the hedgehog couldn't see his face, "cause if you were laughing then I'd know you were happy."
"Tails... please stop doing that," Sonic sighed while tightening his hold on the kitsune's shoulder, "you keep sacrificing your own happiness for mine and it's not right. If anything I should be the one doing that, not you."
"You've already done more than I could ever ask for 'for me, it's only fair if I help you back, even if it's just a little," Tails stated truthfully.
"But that's not little!" Sonic didn't want to argue with the cub any more than Tails did but he needed to help the cub realize that he was worth more than he thought.
Tails flinched upon hearing the hedgehog's serious tone and immediately abandoned all thoughts of continuing the argument. His ears lowered back against his head as he muttered a few words that stunned the hedgehog as well.
"... I'm sorry Sonic."
The Hero of Mobius instantly relaxed his grip on the kitsune and let out a heavy hearted sigh. "Tails I..." he began but stopped when his mind told him to stop. "... ohh kiddo... what am I gonna do with you...?"
Tails wiped his eyes clear of any tears that may have begun forming before Sonic could notice. "... I'm sorry I did that Sonic… I promise, I won't argue with you ever again," he shook his head sadly.
"I'm sorry too lil' buddy... I'm sorry too."
The regret that filled Sonic's voice tugged wretchedly at Tails' heart. He was supposed to be making the hedgehog happier yet he just succeeded in making Sonic apologize for something that wasn't even his fault! And right after Sonic complimented him too!
Just what kind of best friend am I…?
Tails' POV:
"Ouch!" I quietly yelped as I felt a sharp sting come from my left wrist that quickly brought me out of my half-sleep. I rubbed my wrist in silence, being careful not to make any more sounds as I check the time on my watch. 5:50 a.m. That means a few more hours until sunrise, and a few more hours until Sonic wakes up.
I yawned as I climbed out of the cockpit and took a seat at one of the desks. I must've accidentally lost control while I was sleep working. Guess my nap at the daycare didn't really help as much as I hoped.
My thoughts wandered back to the fire at the daycare. I only got a few hours of sleep but the whole building burned down in the process. They're saying it was started by an electrical fire, but I know better. It was my fault. And I know it.
I clenched my teeth and grabbed the strap of my watch, wrapping it around my hand once. I pulled on it as hard as I could causing it to tighten forcefully around my wrist. It hurt. It hurt real bad. But I knew that if I fell asleep while Sonic was around that it would only hurt more. I can't let my bad luck affect him too. I've already messed up his life enough.
I let out a low groan from the pain crushing around my wrist. Maybe I tightened it a bit too much, but it was already too late to make changes. The strap locked in place like a zip-tie and would only come off if it was broken. There was no other way to take it off, just as I designed it. The pain would numb soon anyway so I decided to just ignore it.
There was no way I was getting back to sleep working soon with the strap keeping me awake so I decided to head upstairs to pass some time. Everything was still dark, and I didn't want to wake Sonic so I kept the lights off. But that meant I had to walk extra carefully 'cause my eyes haven't developed enough to see that well in the dark.
The house was quiet, well, except for Sonic's snoring that is. I got myself a glass of water and climbed onto the sofa to rest a little.
I fumbled around with my watch to try and loosen it a bit but it was not budging. To be honest, having it on so tight kinda scared me. If it stopped working properly then… I didn't even continue that thought.
What matters for now is that it keeps me awake. No matter how much the electric shocks hurt, I can't take it off no matter what; I can't let myself fall asleep again, for Sonic's sake.
I quickly finished my glass of water and hopped off the couch making a silent thud. I put everything back together exactly the way it was before and went back to the staircase.
Everything was still as I stared at the hallway that leads to our bedrooms. The bedroom that I was supposed to be sleeping in since I started living here, but never have, and the other bedroom that seemed to be snoring right now.
I paused at the top of the stairs and thought back to what Sonic said before I started our argument. Slow down... I didn't know what the problem was at the time, but now as I'm half asleep; I realize maybe it was about me. I was the problem. Come to think of it, I have been acting up and causing a lot of problems for him... and all those compliments he gave me was just him trying to make me feel better about it!
… and that means he blames me for everything bad that has happened…
Maybe I should slow down. All the bad things that've happened so far are because of me doing something I wasn't supposed to be doing.
That means I have to… stop causing problems for him and stop… asking to do things and only do what he says I can. It is his house after all, his house… his rules. I could've stopped so many of the bad things from happening… like the mess in the kitchen... or all the arguments we had.
Oh why am I so stupid?! If Sonic has to ask me to do that then that means I never noticed how disappointed he was with everything I did! And that means… he's been unhappy this entire time! All this time I've been trying to make him happy and I've just been making it worse! I can't believe it. I shouldn't have ever done anything without asking him first. Two years after the third real caretaker I've ever had died and… I still can't follow orders…
Geez… I really can't do anything right, can I?
I sighed and turned away before quickly slipping back into the garage.
Right there I made a promise to myself that I will not disobey Sonic anymore. Everything I do from now until… when he decides to kick me out will be done only with his permission! He might say he's happy to have me with him, but that's just 'cause he's a hero, and heroes have to be nice! He's the one who's been trying so hard to fix our relationship and I am not going to ruin his hard work! It's my fault that he's sad now and it's my responsibility to fix this...and to make sure Sonic doesn't regret taking me in.
So, all I have to do now is act normal and keep my problems to myself, that's easy enough. If he wants me to do something, I'll do it and if he wants me to stop, I'll stop…
Well… except for sleeping and wearing this watch, but he won't know about that… right?